Case Is A Dog, US Court In Chicago Declines To Revive It

CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal appellate court in Chicago says it can't get involved in a case surrounding a dog named Shaggy.

Shaggy is a service dog Gloria Jean Sykes relies on to keep her calm. An Illinois probate judge in a 2014 guardianship dispute involving Sykes barred her from bringing Shaggy into court.

Sykes sued in federal court alleging that banning Shaggy violated her disability rights. The lower federal court tossed the lawsuit. And in a ruling this week, the 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals declined to revive it, saying a state court should have first crack at the case.

The Chicago Law Bulletin cited the lower court judge as saying Shaggy isn't a bad dog. His written ruling says "Shaggy comported himself well" in probate court before being ordered out.

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