Florence Badami said her previous dog, Puppy, was allowed by the association because she and her late husband, Philip, had the animal before the anti-pet regulations were put in place, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported Tuesday.

Puppy died just a month after the death of Badami's husband in May 2005.

She said she was aware of the ban on animals that had been put in place about 10 years earlier, but decided to defy the rules after a consultation with her doctor.

"I was in very bad shape," Badami said. She said her doctor told her she needed a new dog for companionship and to help her regain her feeling of security.

"I told him I wasn't allowed, and he said, 'Go get it.'"

Badami said she will not pay the $900 in fines issued by the homeowners association for keeping her new dog, Sushi.

"I'm not paying it," she said. "I'll go to court and fight."