A service dog provider is suing a New York woman with cerebral palsy in an effort to take back the assistance animal they placed with her six years ago.

Claire Wimbush received her Labrador retriever, Willa, from Canine Partners for Life in 2007. An Episcopal priest, Wimbush tells the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle that she doesn’t know if she could live on her own without the animal’s assistance.

But now the Pennsylvania-based agency wants Willa back. In a lawsuit, Canine Partners for Life says that Wimbush repeatedly violated her agreement with the agency which calls for regular follow-up reports.

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Wimbush blames health issues for problems at times in fulfilling her end of the deal but said she worked with the group to clear up any issues. More recently, Wimbush said that when she learned a report due April 2 had not been received on time, she emailed the information.

Officials from Canine Partners said they could not comment on the case, but indicated that with thousands of dollars invested in training each dog, the animal’s well-being is important to the group.

“What I can’t figure out is if they were worried about the dog’s status, then why didn’t they just talk with me?” Wimbush told the Democrat and Chronicle. “I would do anything, anything, to keep my dog.”

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