INDEPENDENCE - A visually impaired woman and her unconventional guide dog on Tuesday were invited to move into an apartment building that previously turned them away. The reason cited was a no pets policy.

Maggie Quinn, 52, said she received a call from the property manager saying she and her rat terrier, Mafessie, could have the one-bedroom immediately.

"Someone educated her," Quinn said. "We got it worked out."

It is illegal for landlords to use no pet policies to reject tenants with disabilities who depend on service animals.

Quinn's case was complicated because of her odd choice of breed and her decision to the train the dog herself without the help of a certified school. Most guide dogs are larger breeds that complete months of training at one of about a dozen established national centers.

Quinn also had no documentation to prove her disability until Monday, when a medical doctor certified she was legally blind.

The lack of credentials prompted some in the blind community to react with anger to her story. Many e-mailed the Courier accusing Quinn of faking a disability in order to abuse the system. Others said a rat terrier cannot perform the tasks required of a guide dog.

Michael Hingson, national public affairs and donor relations director of Guide Dogs for the Blind, said it's hard to imagine a rat terrier properly serving as a guide dog. That debate, though, distracts from a more important issue of whether Quinn was discriminated against.

"The real story is can this person deny her right to an apartment," Hingson said.

Hingson was with his guide dog on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, when the terrorists' plane struck. His dog managed to guide him down the stairs and away from the scene safely.

"I learned a long time ago that nothing is impossible," he said. "I will not presume she cannot do it."

Dan Haugen can be contacted at (319) 291-1565 or dan.haugen@wcfcourier.com.