Yes the man does need a companion dog but he needs one trained for certain things such as bark on command. Also being confined to a wheelchair he would likely need one he could have in his lap that could safely jump up into his lap in the wheelchair or jump on the bed and lay beside him. A Toy Rat Terrier would do it. They are very smart dogs and weigh roughly 8-10 pounds and can easily jump into his lap or the bed. They are also great watch dogs and they learn very fast.
The short version is my late wife was an incomplete quad and had some arm and hand movement. I bought her a Toy Ratty which looks like a Chihuahua but a much better disposition. She trained the dog herself. The dog would jump into her lap when she was sitting up and lay with her when she was in bed. I was my wifes sole caregiver and I am disabled and hearing impaired when I am asleep and can't use my hearing aids. The dog woke me up many times when she told her to bark for me or she was choking etc.
My wife passed March 2015 and the dog is still with me and is now both my companion and service dog. She alerts me when my cell phone rings, when someone is coming up the driveway, or she hears a strange noise.
The man needs a small dog he can interact better with and a landlord might be a lot more open to a small dog especially if it has some training. I understand why he would want a German Shepherd it would be security issues. But the Ratty will alert him in plenty of time to summon help.
The situation appears to be over for now, except for the monetary settlement.
I have not met Verasce yet (will this Saturday) but my fellow GSROC volunteer and Freeper tells me he is people, dog, and cat friendly but not trained. The disabled person was not in a position to train him so that’s why he decided to surrender him.