DALLAS — Theo Ponchaveli is famous for his murals around Dallas. Some of his artwork includes murals of Selena and the five fallen officers from July 7, 2016.
Now, the man who has worked to bring beautiful art work to the city is fighting city hall.
Ponchaveli says animal control came onto his property and took his service dog, Picasso. He has the video to prove it.
"They took my dog from the property and let someone else adopt him,” Ponchaveli said.
Ponchaveli said last March he was showing some of his art at his studio in West Dallas.
"There were about 20 people, and we were outside," Ponchaveli said.
He said Dallas Fire Marshals showed up and watched his art studio for a while. Eventually, he said, he left, and left Picasso with his son.
Ponchaveli said around 1:30 in the morning the fire marshals called Dallas Animal Services and Dallas police. The video shows authorities with Picasso and after a while, they take the dog off Ponchaveli’s private property.
"So I went to my property to see if they left a note or a citation or anything about why they took my dog and there was nothing," Ponchaveli said.
He said he tried for weeks to get Picasso back, but animal services wanted him to have the dog neutered to bring it into compliance. However, Ponchaveli said service dogs are exempt.
"I was told I couldn't get him back because he was not fixed, but he's a service animal," Ponchaveli said.
The City of Dallas confirmed they would not release the dog until he was microchipped and neutered. In a statement, city officials told WFAA "the dog was held and legally adopted out after the legal redemption expired."
They also said they could not find that Picasso was registered as a service dog.
Ponchaveli says he is partially disabled and Picasso helps him with his rehabilitation.
He said his dog was improperly removed and now has no idea where he is, and he wants him back.
Here is a full statement from the City of Dallas.
DAS was asked to impound a dog at the 914 W. Commerce by Dallas Police on March 17, 2018 after no one claimed ownership of the dog. The dog was placed on a stray hold. A person who alleged to be the owner of the dog contacted DAS, but would not agree to microchip the dog or get it neutered to bring it into compliance with the city dog ordinance and hung up on staff. Therefore, the dog was held and legally adopted out after the legal redemption period expired. The dog, a bull mastiff, did not appear to be registered as any kind of service dog.