AN A I RADIO TV NEWS Feature

The Standard, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Headline - Palliative dog permitted to live final days in condo with family after being threatened with eviction.

By line - St. Catharines couple received notice from condo board that despite one animal rule, 14-year-old Nikita can stay in her home until the end of her days.

Reported By Victoria Nicolaou, staff reporter.

Photos by, Bob Tymczyszyn , Torstar.

Dateline - Friday, June 23, 2023.

It is not a decision meant to set condo precedent, but all the matters is Nikita will be allowed to spend her final days — however long that may be — at home, with her family.

And even though she is a 14-year-old palliative dog, Laura Rogers believes Nikita understands.

“This girl, she knows what’s going on sometimes. She gives you the look, with those big brown eyes, to say thanks,” said Rogers.

“It was very relieving, very relieving.”

Last month Rogers and Robert McConnell received a letter from the Gale Crescent property manager which stated the condominium board had agreed to permit the couple’s second dog, Nikita, to “remain with you in your unit for the remainder of her life for compassionate reasons due to her age and declining health.”

But moving forward, the couple must adhere to the condo’s one pet restriction, as per its rules and regulations.

That will not be a problem, said Rogers. When the couple sold their home and moved into the building May 2022 with their three dogs — one of which has since died — they were unaware there was a pet limit.

In the following months, the couple thought they had come to an understanding that Nikita could stay with them, as long as there were no complaints. She was little, didn’t bark, and wasn’t expected to have many years left.

But a few months ago, they received a letter from the Hamilton law firm, SimpsonWigle Law LLP, for non-compliance in “removal of dog” residing in their unit. The document said the couple is in breach of two sections of the Condominium Act — not following rules laid out for all residents and for having an additional pet in their unit.

“It was a rare circumstance for sure. I should not have ever been in here with three dogs, I didn’t know that,” said Rogers. “Rob is an ex-cop, I’m an ex-nurse, we don’t typically run around trying to break the law.”

Unsure what to do, they reached out to The Standard while continuing conversations with the condo board trying to find a solution. The veterinarian said Nikita did not have much time, and all they could do was keep her comfortable, and all Rogers and McConnell wanted was for Nikita to remain with them in their home.

They stayed positive, but “we were on pins and needles” waiting for an answer. Rogers said she heard from the community, many who sympathized with what she was going through, as well as from many “wonderful” people within the building.

“At the time this happened, there was quite a bit of outpouring of kindness and very nice, kind words,” said Rogers.

Receiving the letter was a relief, and while Nikita — who was rescued from a puppy mill — is palliative “she’s going to live out her life with us so that’s one worry off the board.”

In the weeks since this all began, Rogers said Nikita’s health condition has not improved, with the vet having found what appears to be a nodule of cancer on her chest. But at her age, and all she’s been through, Nikita won’t be put through any more testing or surgery.

“I’ll put her down if she’s in a lot of pain, that’s without a doubt. But she still has happy moments. She still has mini-plays with her sister and she loves going outside and laying in the grass and she loves her food,” said Rogers, which the veterinarian said is a good sign.
“You have good days and bad days but she’s still got happy times.”

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