Michigan Family Fights To Keep Therapy Ducks for Autistic Son

The township says that the ducks violate a zoning ordinance, and the family is fighting back.

12-year-old Dylan Dyke has autism and, like many kids on the spectrum, relies on therapy animals to help him. We're not talking about a dog, or a cat or even a goat...he has therapy ducks named Nibbles and Bill.

The ducks DO meet the criteria as therapy animals, according to Dylan's psychologist. But the officials in Georgetown Township (southwest of Grand Rapids) say that the ducks violate an ordinance that prohibits farm animals in a residential area. Neighbors have complained about the fenced-in pen that the ducks are kept in.

Dylan's parents say that the ducks have given him a sense of responsibility; he gets up at 7 AM every day to feed them and they've helped him to connect emotionally.

No surprise here - this all comes down to the homeowner's association for the neighborhood that the Dyke family lives in. They may have to get rid of the ducks, pending the results of a meeting on August 22nd.

Can ANYBODY give me a GOOD story or experience about a homeowner's association? Please? ANYBODY??