[nagdu] Article: Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog

[Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire]

I hope this owman that did this ends up serving time in jail and has to pay the $5000.00 fine.
Wht this customer service representative di was unbelievable.
I don't care if she has a mental illness, but what she did to the guide dog is very unexceptable and unexcusable!!!
This makes me very angry and mad!!!
*Disgusted and upset*
I do hope that the guide dog has not suffered any trauma from this incident.
Bibi and son Odie
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 8:09 PM
Subject: Article: Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog
Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog with bleach
Sunrise resident cited for animal cruelty
A seeing-eye dog had bleach squirted in its eyes at a Publix grocery store when a
67-year-old woman intentionally sprayed the animal in an unprovoked attack, a police
report says.
The 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever appeared uninjured, the report said, but
Patricia Lawler, of Sunrise, was cited for animal cruelty and given a notice to appear
after the 4:15 p.m. Saturday incident at the store at 10155 W. Oakland Park Blvd.

 

Lawler told police she "thought it was a vicious animal" and feared it would be a
danger to other customers, so she grabbed a spray bottle of Clorox cleaner off a
shelf and sprayed the animal in the eyes and back.
"I realize now it was a mistake," Lawler said when reached by telephone Monday. "I
have a fear of dogs. It was just a big dog with a big head. I was just afraid."
Lawler said she takes medication for schizoaffective disorder, and paranoia is one
the symptoms associated with her mental illness.
The dog's owner, Ronda Carin Shore, 45, also of Sunrise, told police she is
blind
 and keeps the canine with her at all times. It was wearing a service-dog vest, an
assist handle and a placard, the report said.
Shore declined to comment Monday.
Although the dog wasn't exhibiting aggressive behavior, Lawler said she got scared
when she saw it and asked Shore to leave the store with the dog. When that didn't
produce results, she said she resorted to the spray bleach to get rid of the animal.
"I was afraid the dog would go wild, or some small child would get bitten, or somebody
would get hurt," Lawler said. "I guess I overreacted. But I still feel like a dog
doesn't belong in a place like a grocery store."
If convicted of the first-degree misdemeanor, Lawler faces up to a year in jail and/or
a $5,000 fine.