[nagdu] Boycott of Oxford diner changes to rally on service dogs

[Ginger Kutsch]

Boycott of Oxford diner changes to rally on service dogs

By Kim Ring, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20130828/NEWS/308289463/1116

 

OXFORD - Selectmen have weighed in on the controversy surrounding a local
restaurant owner's refusal to serve a man who visited his establishment with
a service dog in tow.

Selectman John G. Saad, the board's chairman, said in a written statement,
"The town is disappointed to learn of a failure by one establishment to
respect the needs of veterans by refusing access to a veteran accompanied by
a service dog."

Mr. Saad also wrote that the town is grateful to all veterans. 

 

Meanwhile, James Glaser, the U.S. Air Force veteran who uses his dog, Jack,
to alert him before his post-traumatic stress disorder can become too much
to handle, said he will accept the apology Russell Ireland issued during a
television interview.

In fact, he's hoping Mr. Ireland will, on Saturday, attend what has morphed
from a boycott of Big I's restaurant into an educational event for folks to
learn about PTSD and the various types of service dogs that people use.

"I would love for him to be there. I would shake his hand," Mr. Glaser said.


 

Mr. Glaser said he filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice,
and Town Manager Joseph M. Zeneski said he alerted the attorney general's
office about the matter.

Locally, the town can do nothing aside from the inspections it performed to
be sure Mr. Ireland was in compliance with the local permits he was issued.

"He has not violated the terms of any licenses or permits," Mr. Zeneski
said. 

 

The two men were at odds on Sunday, when Mr. Ireland, in a less than
friendly way, asked Mr. Glaser to take the dog out of the restaurant. Mr.
Glaser's post about the incident on Facebook went viral, but they're both
facing similar problems now.

Each has received a barrage of communications, many of which included death
threats that left them shaken.

Mr. Glaser, who in Facebook photos has a patchwork quilt of Air Force
ribbons pinned to his chest, said some people have questioned his military
service.

He said he enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school in 1990,
following his father's footsteps. He said he did two tours in Iraq of six
months each. During the first, he helped move troops in Operation Desert
Fox, and during the second he provided air traffic control in Baghdad, with
mortars exploding near the tower where he worked.

Of all his awards he is most proud of the commendation he got when he was
helping to train allied troops. As a jump master, he was the last one out of
the plane, parachuting into the water, when he noticed a parachute being
dragged by a boat. He was able to rescue the man being dragged. The man
needed CPR and medical treatment but survived the brush with death.

"I saved a life," he said, adding that knowing that makes him proud, and the
response from the man was that he'd be welcome at his home anytime.

He is upset that anyone would question his service and he said he doesn't
want the matter to become political. His Facebook page has some pictures
that might be termed controversial. and, he said, he's not happy with the
current administration or "Washington in general," but politics have nothing
to do with his desire to educate about service dogs.

He and his wife, who have been staying in a motor home in Oxford while she
was working in the area, will return home to Nevada soon. Mr. Glaser is
hoping to leave behind some folks in the Bay State who have a better
understanding of PTSD and who might be more welcoming to dogs like Jack that
don't look like the stereotypical service dog.

On Saturday, anyone interested is welcome at Greenbrier Recreation Area, not
far from the Big I's. Veterans groups will attend and provide information,
Mr. Glaser will hand out pamphlets about the Americans with Disabilities
Act, service dog organizations will be on hand and the names of veterans who
have taken their own lives as a result of PTSD will be read.

Contact Kim Ring at kring at telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimmring