Caroline and her dog Just was a story that had lasted for six years. It was, because it ended abruptly a year ago, in April. The golden retriever was taken from him by the Handichien association, which manages the provision of assistance dogs. The organization criticizes “questionable behavior” on the part of Caroline, who has been the subject of several reports.
The 32-year-old young woman had been fighting for months to find her “soft toy”. She demanded that her “assistance dog, necessary for her daily life,” be returned to her. The case has just been judged at the Nanterre judicial court, which considered that the association was within its right to recover the animal under the contract signed with Caroline Billot. Much to the chagrin of the latter.
“He was of great help to me”
A chronic illness has meant that Caroline Billot has only used a wheelchair for years. “Why was my dog taken away from me? » The question has been running around in his head for a year. In her apartment in Douai, in the North, she tries to live without it. “It’s difficult because he was a precious help to me,” she says, with tears in her eyes. From the dog’s passage, what remains are the door and furniture handles still equipped with tennis balls, which allowed Just to open and close them. “This dog was my whole life,” laments Caroline Billot. I even asked to keep him after his service dog retirement. »
But in October 2022, the disabled young woman received a visit from two people from Handichien. “They came to explain to me that the association had received a complaint about the mistreatment I was subjecting to my dog,” she says. How could I have mistreated him? I received this dog on December 5, 2016, my birthday. It was the greatest gift I ever had. »
Caroline clearly remembers an altercation with a lady in the street. “Just suffers from an illness that sometimes prevents him from regurgitating. When this happens, I put my hand violently in his mouth to help him. One lady thought it was abuse. Perhaps the complaint comes from there,” she explains. On the day of the trial, the judge did not consider it necessary to ask for the identity of the complainants since there were at least two. “The contract for the delivery of an assistance dog provides for the possibility of withdrawal in the event of reports, which has been the case and repeatedly,” indicates Caroline Lanty, Handichien’s lawyer in this case.
Still, in April 2023, a registered letter from Handichien informed him of the upcoming withdrawal for mistreatment. And in June, a new host family came to pick him up. “The person was surprised to see that I had prepared his suitcase with his memory foam mat. »
Deep depression
Since then, Caroline has fallen into a deep depression with a suicide attempt. Which caused a reaction from her neuropsychologist, Mary-Grâce Cuquemelle, who moved heaven and earth for Caroline to find Just. “Her loved ones attest that she was incapable of harming her dog,” she assured 20 minutes before the trial.
The matter was even escalated to the Elysée. In a letter, the chief of staff of the President of the Republic assured that he had reported the approach to the former minister delegate, responsible for disabled people and to the prefect of the Hauts-de-France region for a “suite likely to be reserved” . A prize pool has also been opened to support the young woman.
In vain. Just will not return to Caroline Billot, the courts have decided. “She is exhausted by this affair,” specifies her lawyer, Me Graziella Dode. I don’t think she will appeal the decision. »