Dr. Gael Yonnet pictured with his service dog, Elon, in December of 2009, was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident in 2006 while he was a University of Utah medical student. In 2009, he received a service dog from Canine Companions for Independence. But the organization took the dog away from now Dr. Yonnet because he allows the dog to run off leash in the mountains.
Yonnet received Elon in August 2009 from the Canine Companions for Independence. The organization provides highly trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. The organization said after a two-week training program, the participant is given "custody" not "ownership" of the dog.
"You do get depressed at times," he said, "and having the constant companionship of the dog, and he knows when I'm sad, and he knows what I need. It's really comforting." Since he got Elon, Yonnet regained the active lifestyle he had before he got hurt. He said Elon helps him at home and at work. With the dog's help he went mountain biking for the first time last year and in October 2010 he was able climb the top of Snowbird with Elon by his side.
"When I look back over the last 18 months of my life, he has always been a part of my life, so he's a part of me," Yonnet said. Yonnet, who is a senior resident at the University of Utah hospital's neuro-rehabilitation department, said Elon also gives his patients hope. He said patients see that it's possible to live a full and active life.
But recently, his life became much harder. CCI met with Yonnet and Elon, for what he thought was a normal follow-up visit. "They said, actually, 'Thanks for taking the whole day off, but we are just here to take custody of the dog for his own safety.'" Yonnet said he was upset, holding Elon and crying. "I stayed 10 minutes holding him, and they said, 'If it's easier, we can call the police to take him from you.'"
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705365793/Mans-companion-dog-taken-away-in-Utah-organization-said-dog-in-danger.html?pg=2