A Day in the Life of a Service Dog Handler: Access Denied
Heads up! Service Dog Living accepts submissions from readers for “Life of a Service Dog Handler” stories. To learn how to submit your story, visit the Contact page.
Story submitted anonymously.
When Your Dog Is Denied Entry
Photo by Malachi Brooks on Unsplash
There I was, standing in a restaurant in my big city being told by a host that only service dogs are allowed in. “You obviously don’t need one,” she told me.
The night before, my golden retriever intentionally woke my boyfriend up and prevented me from injuring myself during a seizure. It was a day later and I was still tired and shaky, and I wanted an easy dinner with my boyfriend. But apparently, I wasn’t disabled.
When we walked in, the host took one look at my dog in her vest, then one look at me, and her smile turned into a sneer. I knew the look. Of course I knew what was about to happen.
I explained that my condition is invisible and that my dog is a professionally trained medical response dog. I explained that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they couldn’t turn us away just because my illness doesn’t show on the outside.
She went to get the manager, which gave me a little hope.
Although the discrimination hurt, I didn’t blame the host for not understanding service dog laws. But the manager would know better, right? I was hoping someone was about to come out and clear things up, and we’d be seated with delicious food and my dog quietly tucked under the booth soon.
And then the manager came out, stood next to the host, and backed her up. He held up his hand before either of us could speak, and told us that only service dogs were allowed and if we wanted to eat there, the pet had to go home.
I had a lot of thoughts standing there in front of the host’s stand. I thought about telling them about the Department of Justice. I thought about telling them about ADA complaints and how I could sue them for discrimination. They were in clear violation of federal law, but instead, my boyfriend and I got in the car. I had no interest in giving my money or my evening to a place that had decided, based on nothing but a glance, that I was lying about my own body. I did not want to sit in their booths. I did not want to eat their food. I wanted to be somewhere that would actually welcome us.
Fifteen minutes later, we walked into a place a few miles away. The host looked at my golden and asked, “Is that a service dog?” and then showed us to a table.
The food was fantastic, and my dog lay under the table like the good girl she is.
When we got home, I left the first restaurant a one-star review with a link to the ADA guidelines on service animals. And I left our new favorite restaurant a five-star review explaining exactly how welcoming they had been to a professionally trained service dog and her handler.
I am not required to educate every person who decides my invisible illness isn’t real. I am not required to stay and fight every battle, especially not when I am already tired and struggling. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is leave, find somewhere better, and tell everyone about the positive experiences (okay, and the negative experience too).
Service dogs are allowed in most public settings, with a few exceptions. Read this earlier post to fully understand service dog ADA exceptions.