[nagdu] Disabled vet and service dog banned from supermarket

[Lyn Gwizdak]

Interesting article.  My question is why was the dog OFF LEASH???  Why did 
it have several accidents???

It sounds like the dog could do its job on leash and under control of the 
owner.  Sounds like the owner isn't giving the dog enough time to relieve 
before entering the store.  Or, the dog either has a medical problem, or is 
stressed and not a good candidate for service dog work.

Now, really we all don't know what really happened because none of us were 
there to see the incident.  I wonder if a program trained the dog and owner 
or was the dog a pet she trained herself and didn't do such a great job in 
selecting an appropriate dog to work for her.

I'd like to hear the store's version of the story.  Perhaps the business has 
had alot of problems with this person and her dog - even though she did pick 
up the mess.

Over the course of my guide dog using career, I've had a few dogs - 
including Landon - have a very occassional accident in a store.  Landon had 
an accident in CostCo when I first got him and wasn't clear on his relieving 
needs yet.  there was no problem as we picked it up right away - it was a 
poop.  I have never had a store "ban" my dogs because of an accident.  Hey, 
kids have accidents of some sort all the time and the store workers know 
this! (grin!)

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aaron Cannon" <cannona at fireantproductions.com>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 1:16 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Disabled vet and service dog banned from supermarket


If the store is to be believed, it sounds like the owner is largely at
fault, though the bit about calling ahead leaves a bad taste in my
mouth.

>From 
>http://www.examiner.com/x-36055-Hartford-Disability-Examiner~y2010m8d4-Disabled-vet-and-service-dog-banned-from-supermarket

According to NBC News Connecticut, Kim Mucha is a veteran who served
in the Air Force Military Police. She was injured in battle and now
requires the help
of a service dog to keep her balance and reach lower placed objects.

Ms. Mucha entered the Big Y in North Haven, Connecticut along with her
service dog, Ivy, to do some shopping. While in the store, Ivy
defecated in an aisle.
Despite the fact that Mucha cleaned up the feces immediately, she was
banned from the store. Mucha told the New Haven Register, "They
treated me and my
dog like criminals."

A spokeswoman for the store, Claire D'Amour-Daley, defended the
decision stating the store was well within its right. She told the
Register that the dog
was not on a leash at the time that it had several accidents,
including one near a food preparation area. D'Amour-Daley went on to
say that the Big Y
is happy to work with people and their service dogs, but prefers that
the customer call ahead to inform the store prior to arrival.

There is no stipulation in the
 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
 stating that individuals need to give notice to a business prior to
entering. Mucha told the paper that she is considering filing a
lawsuit against the
Big Y stores.

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