[nagdu] Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery

[minh ha]

I'm a little confused. So emotional support dogs for people with
depression and stuff like that are by definition, not service animals?
But I thought veterans that come home from the war that have PTSD and
depression are allowed to get emotional support dogs as service
animals.

Minh

On 8/24/13, Tami Jarvis <tami at poodlemutt.com> wrote:
> Hey! This one seemed really clear about the laws and the distinctions.
> Refreshing. It's good when the quote by the Designated Expert stresses
> the training, especially when it comes to the different between ESAs and
> their SD counterparts with task training. I was glad he mentioned that
> the highly trained service dogs can be removed for the listed misbehaviors.
>
> Tami
>
> On 08/24/2013 06:35 AM, Ginger Kutsch wrote:
>> Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery
>>
>> by Jeff Rusack,
>>
>> August 23, 2013 8:13 PM
>>
>> Source:
>> http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29327&Itemid=5
>> 7
>>
>>
>>
>> One Sioux Falls' family is crying foul after they say they were
>> discriminated against for having an emotional support dog at a fast food
>> restaurant, Thursday.
>>
>>
>>
>> Mocha may have brown fur but she seems to be in a grey area.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thursday afternoon when Alan Steele and his mother Edwina decided to dine
>> in
>> at a Sioux Falls Taco Bell, they were told to do something that surprised
>> them.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We were asked if we were going to eat in. I said, 'yes, we are.' And he
>> goes, 'I'm sorry. I can't allow you to do that,'" said Alan Steele.
>>
>>
>>
>> The Americans with Disabilities Act allows any service animal into just
>> about any business.
>>
>>
>>
>> "On the back it says that she is a part of the American Disabled Act of
>> 1990," pointed out Steele.
>>
>>
>>
>> Mocha is titled as an emotional support dog. Mocha's owner, Edwina Steele
>> suffers from depression and anxiety and can't take prescriptions due to a
>> heart condition, as they tried to explain to the Taco Bell staff.
>>
>>
>>
>> "She is a service animal, emotional support. And he goes, 'that doesn't
>> matter,'" added Steele.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Just because a dog has a vest on doesn't mean the dog is protected,"
>> said
>> Steve Slavik, the CEO of Big Paws Canine, a company that trains dogs for
>> Veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
>>
>>
>>
>> "What a service dog is and how it is defined, is a dog that is trained to
>> perform work or perform a task for an individual with a disability,"
>> quoted
>> Slavik from the American with Disabilities Act.
>>
>>
>>
>> And the Steele's may be out of luck when trying to bring Mocha with them
>> to
>> businesses with pet policies.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Dogs that wouldn't be protected are emotional support dogs and companion
>> dogs. They are still considered pets and they are not defined in the
>> protection of the ADA," added Slavik.
>>
>>
>>
>> But, asking someone about their dog, when it comes to determining if they
>> are indeed a service animal, can be tricky.
>>
>>
>>
>> Businesses are only allowed to ask two questions when it comes to service
>> dogs.
>>
>>
>>
>> Is the service animal required? And what work has the dog been trained to
>> perform?
>>
>>
>>
>> Businesses cannot ask what the owners disability is or for the owner to
>> provide documentation.
>>
>>
>>
>> "If the dog is barking or being destructive to merchandise or going to
>> the
>> restroom on the floor, those types of things, even if it's a full-fledged
>> 1,000 of hours training service dog, a service dog can be denied access,"
>> added Slavik.
>>
>>
>>
>> The Steeles say there was no indication of any misbehavior at the Taco
>> Bell,
>> Thursday and they still hope for an apology from the restaurant.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I would like for people to ask and understand before they criticize or
>> discriminate against her," added Steele.
>>
>>
>>
>> There's no doubt Mocha is a lovable pup. But, service dog experts say an
>> emotional support dog has no protection when it comes to the Americans
>> with
>> Disabilities Act.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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