This morning, my husband and I were refused service here because of my husband's service dog. By law we are not required to provide documentation, (see paragraph 3 of the law below) in fact, there is not a card or anything that you can get that claims your dog is a service dog....our dog wears a service dog vest and it is clearly marked SERVICE DOG.
This establishment needs to learn Federal law when it comes to treating people with service dogs. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act no establishment, and that includes restaurants, can refuse service to a person because they have a service dog. They can only refuse service if your dog is causing problems or is not housebroken. This was not the case. In fact when the owner came up he asked where the dog was. Our dog is trained to lay under the table as far back as possible and to not make any noise. Now if he had to ask where the dog was...why was it an issue.
The owner was very rude, would not look at the documentation that I tried to share with him. He snatched our menus off the table, told us it was his restaurant and his rules and to get out! This is the first time we have ever been treated so rudely. SOOO if you have a service dog, or have friends or know someone with a service dog...don't try to eat here...you will be kicked out.
We eat out frequently and have NEVER had problems in any restaurant except this one.
Here is the federal law from the ADA.
How "Service Animal" Is Defined
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability.
Where Service Animals Are Allowed
Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go. For example, in a hospital it would be inappropriate to exclude a service animal from areas such as patient rooms, clinics, cafeterias, or examination rooms. However, it may be appropriate to exclude a service animal from operating rooms or burn units where the animal's presence may compromise a sterile environment.
Inquiries, Exclusions, Charges, and Other Specific Rules Related to Service Animals
When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person's disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.
Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility.
A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal's presence.
Establishments that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.
People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be isolated from other patrons, treated less favorably than other patrons, or charged fees that are not charged to other patrons without animals. In addition, if a business requires a deposit or fee to be paid by patrons with pets, it must waive the charge for service animals.
If a business such as a hotel normally charges guests for damage that they cause, a customer with a disability may also be charged for damage caused by himself or his service animal.
Staff are not required to provide care or food for a service animal. read more