[nagdu] . Restaurant Turns Away Diners For Having Too ManyServiceDogs.

[Arthur Nolden]

    I posted this item in the GDF (Guide Dog Foundation) graduates yahoo 
group.  One of the members replied, "Yup! That was us!"

    On that list, if you hit the Reply button, ctrl+r), your response goes 
to the sender of the mesage you are answering.  Thus, only I got the 
person's mesage.  If you remember to hit Reply All, ctrl+shift+r, your 
response goes to the list and to the sender; the sender gets  two copies. 
No other comments were made on that list.

    As for another question, the same was asked in other guide dog groups. 
Believe me, it's not only Bahsten.  Maybe the department has S O p, standard 
operating procedure, and perhaps that one policeman was not *educated about 
it.

    The article is lacking many details that might shed more light on the 
matter.  What time of day did these people show up at the restaurant?  Rush 
hour?  Lull hour between busy meal times?  Did they call ahead an advise 
that they wished to come to the restaurant with that many dogs?  Did anyone 
have the little lawbook to show the cop?

    A blind lady with her guide dog came down from Noo Yawk to Tampa about 
ten years ago to visit her sightie sister.  They went to a Chinese 
restaurant.  The hostess seated them and got their beverages.,  The owner 
went to the table and told them, "you can't bring a dog in here."  He told 
them that if they leave the dog outside, they'd be welcome to dine there.

    Another patron called the Tampa PD, and a patrol cop arrived. The blind 
lady did not have her little law book, and the cop said, "Listen lady, if 
the man doesn't want a dog in here, you gotta take it outside."

    There are some cops who would say the same thing even if you slapped 
them upside the head with the law book.
the other mistake was that the lady with the school-trained guide dog 
should've known to call the PD, and demand that a commanding officer come to 
the restaurant.  I would've sat there, and dared the street cop to arrest me 
for Trespass, or something.  Or, dared the cop to touch the dog.  Then you'd 
see how fast a Squad Commander shows up.

    The cop turned in his report about the matter.  The Tampa PD Squad 
commander skims over all the reports at the end of the shift.   Believe it, 
this one did not know about *right of access of people with service dogs. 
He ccalled the state Attorney's office, aka District Attorney.  They didn't 
know either, and had to research it.  The State, via the Tampa PD, filed a 
charge against the restaurant owner  in the City Court for violating, I 
think it is some sub-division of FL Statute 413.08.  The court mailed a 
Summons to Appear, aka Invitation, to answer the charge.

    From the Police Blotter at the PD, the newspaper wrote an article about 
this matter. The restaurant owner says he didn't see the article.  Nor did 
he accept the written invitation from the court.  Well, when you do not 
accept an invitation from a court, the judge orders the issuance of a bench 
warrant for your arrest.  The Times wrote that one up too.  Someone told the 
Restaurant owner about it.  He went to the court, surrendered without being 
arrested, and eventually paid a fine, perhaps $250, if I recall correctly.

    Artie and GDF Golden guide dog JJ by the Gulf,
    west central Florida.
    Dusty's Light Will  Shine Forever!
    and sweet Charcoal, who has received her Beautiful
    Angel Wings, her Loving Memory lives on in our hearts.
================.

From: "cheryl echevarria"


> Question to all, aren't the police suppose to get involved, they are the 
> ones who should have corrected the situation. Seems like our law 
> enforcement officers don't' want to do there jobs, but if the dogs acted 
> up and were asked to leave and the people refused you know darn well that 
> the restaurant would have called the police.

What gives?

Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
Cheryl Echevarria