AURELIA, IA -
An update on the retired Chicago cop fighting to keep his service dog, Snickers.
FOX 44 introduced you to Jim Sak in December 2011, and now the battle for man's best friend is going all the way to Federal Court.
Jim Sak didn't know what to do when the city of Aurelia, Iowa told him he had to get rid of Snickers back in December.
As his case heads for Federal Court Jim's not only fighting for his best friend; He's fighting for his life.
"The dog is my life saver," said Jim Sak, talking to the media on Thursday.
For months now Jim, a retired and disabled Chicago cop and Vietnam veteran, has been fighting to keep his service dog: Snickers.
Soon after moving to Aurelia, Iowa in November 2011 the city said Snickers had to go.
Snickers is a pit bull mix and that breed is banned by the city.
"People don't understand what a good dog can be," said Sak. "They sit there and say: Pit bulls, oh God! He's going to eat up the whole town, he's going to eat up the whole city."
Jim and Snickers got good news back in December thanks to the "Americans with Disabilities Act."
A judge said that even though he's a pit bull, he's okay, because he's a service dog.
"Under the ADA guidelines Snickers was exempt from the ban," said Kim Wolf, with the Animal Farm Foundation, Inc., a spokesperson for Sak and his case. "Breed was not a factor in which dogs could be a service dog, it was all about the role that they played and the tasks that they could perform."
After months of negotiating, Jim and the city couldn't work out a deal; And now the battle for man's best friend will head a Federal Court.
Jim's just hoping he can prove that his dog is safe.
"For 32 years I tried to help people out and keep them safe, for somebody to tell me that I'm putting a whole town in danger, is really, really hard for me to understand," said Sak.
But now Jim's fighting another battle.
A few months ago he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
"If anything, he needs Snickers now more than ever," said Wolf.
Back in December a judge let Jim keep Snickers at home until the court battles are over, but that could be a while.
Jim's case isn't scheduled to hit Federal Court until July 8th, 2013.
