Former Roseburg City Councilor Ashley Hicks has taken a novel approach in her dispute with city officials as they seek to take away her pet chickens. Hicks got a note from her doctor stating that she suffers from emotional/mental health issues and by law is entitled to an emotional service animal — in this case, her chickens.

On March 18, Hicks filed a formal appeal with City Manager Nikki Messenger, appealing the decision of Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein to revoke Hicks' livestock permit and force her to get rid of the four chickens.

"I have suffered a considerable amount of mental stress, severe anxiety and depression as a result of the ongoing fighting, untruths and misinformation with the revocation of my livestock permit and anguish caused by threats to revoke," Hicks wrote in the appeal.