Service animals have become increasingly common tools for people to use to accommodate their disabilities, and an important distinction is that, while the person may deeply care for their service animal, they are not a pet during their career.
There are, unfortunately, some people who try to blur the line between a trained service animal and a well-behaved pet, trying to gain access to more places for their pets on the go, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor beckska attempted to go to a restaurant with her service dog and was denied entry, because the restaurant manager could not tell the difference between a trained service animal and a well-behaved dog.
Because she actually needed her service dog to navigate public places, the Original Poster (OP) reported the manager for either being careless, ableist, or not trained properly to accommodate guests with disabilities.
She asked the sub:
"Am I overreacting by calling corporate after being denied entry with my service dog?"
The OP had a medical service dog she needed to help her navigate public spaces.
"I (22 Female) have a service dog for a medical condition. He’s trained to alert me before severe drops in my blood sugar and to respond if I start losing consciousness."
"I’ve had episodes before where I passed out without warning and ended up in the ER, so I don’t go out in public without him anymore."
"He’s fully trained through a legit program and is extremely well-behaved. When we’re out, he just tucks under the table and doesn’t move. Most people don’t even notice him."
A restaurant manager was not accommodating of the OP's needs and denied her entry.
"I went to a sit-down chain restaurant (Olive Garden) with a friend for lunch."
"As soon as we got seated, the manager came over and said dogs aren’t allowed inside because of the 'health code.'"
"I explained that he’s a service dog, not a pet, and that he’s allowed to be there."
"The manager immediately got defensive and said, 'We’ve had people lie about that before, so unless you can show paperwork, you’ll have to leave.'"
"I told him there isn’t actually any required paperwork and that, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they’re only allowed to ask two questions."
"He cut me off and said store policy requires proof and that I was 'causing a disturbance.'"
"At this point, people around us were staring, and I was getting embarrassed."
"My friend tried backing me up, but the manager said if I didn’t remove the dog, we’d both have to leave."
"We left because I was getting really upset anyway and just grabbed McDonald's and ate in the car together."
The OP contacted corporate to report the manager's behavior.
"When I got home, I called corporate and filed a complaint, explaining everything, including the fact that they tried to require documentation and denied access."
"Corporate seemed pretty serious about it and said they’d 'handle it internally.'"
"I do feel kind of bad now that I might have gotten this manager into a lot of trouble and maybe even fired."
"I’m trying to rationalise it, like maybe he doesn’t actually know the policy and was just doing what somebody else had explained to do."
"But I’ve never been denied access to a place because of my dog before, and it just felt really unfair, I guess."
"AIO?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NOR: Not Overreacting
- YOR: You're Overreacting
Some called the employee out, pointing out that he should know the difference between a service animal and a "service animal."
"Since Olive Garden is corporate, they likely have a policy and a procedure for everything. Unless the guy has a number of write-ups already, I think it's fair to assume he won't get fired, but rather retrained on some things. And if this is the thing to get him fired, that's his own fault. It sounds like you acted calmly and maturely, took the correct avenues to right this wrong."
"And also, I'd like to say to that guy, come on, man. Those of us who work in the service industry can spot the difference between a 'service animal' and an actual trained and well-behaved service animal."
"He just likes feeling like he's got one up on a customer. I've been there, too. That's when you know it's time to get out of the industry and do something else with your life."
"NOR." - cuppa_cat
"I’m a career bartender, and have been shocked at noticing a trained service dog halfway through service. On the other hand, I’ve had dogs sniff me, or beg food from their owner, and those clearly are not trained and legit. If someone trains their nonservice dog well enough that I can’t tell, I don’t care." - BadPom
"Not only is Olive Garden corporate, but it's also owned by the world's largest full-service restaurant company, Darden Restaurants. Darden is worth approximately 23 billion dollars, has more than 2,100 restaurants, and over 200,000 employees. Shame on Darden for not training them properly."
"NOR." - birdtripping
"Your health and having a dog are so important. I’m so glad you have a service dog, as my brother-in-law has difficulty with his sugar levels and rarely goes out anymore."
"I do wish there were fewer Karens who brought in their badly trained dogs and try to pass them off as service dogs. It makes it more difficult for those who need a service animal."
"This manager still should have known better, though. NOR." - Feeling-Fab-U-Lus
"NOR. The manager is an absolute f**king moron who definitely deserves to be fired. Out of a f**king cannon. There are precisely two questions that you are allowed to ask: 'Is this dog (or miniature horse) required for a disability?' And 'What task are they trained to perform?'"
"That’s it. If the animal proceeds to be disruptive, you can kick them out for that. But any manager who asks for paperwork is clearly too dumb to manage anything more complicated than their own bowel movements." - Pkrudeboy
"NOR. Going to the media, be it social or journalism, generally backfires on handlers."
"There's a saying in the SD community, 'education, mediation, litigation.' Since basic level education failed, contacting corporate was a next step."
"Alternatively, filing a complaint with the handler's state disability rights organization is an option (usually the best choice if one wants resolution); depending on how many complaints they have received about a location will determine whether they educate or take steps to have the place fined under state law."
"Filing a DOJ (federal) complaint has always been iffy; the volume of complaints makes it difficult for most to be heard, and that was before the current administration issues." - Ashamed_File6955
Others agreed and said that it would be the employee's history of actions getting him fired, not the OP's complaint.
"If he gets fired, you didn’t get him fired. He got himself fired with his actions." - Content-Complaint782
"NOR. Any action taken against him by his employer is because he didn’t follow their policies, which will (or should) align with the law." - tuiroo007
"He knew the rules; he just took a chance on this not being a true service animal. Nine times out of ten, a layperson can tell the difference between a real service animal and a 'non-trained,' non-certified service animal."
"True service animals do their jobs. They may look around, but they don't stray away from their person, they don't seek affection, and they don't bark or react to others. They do what they are supposed to do, without fail, without constant correction." - ScarInternational161
"Good. He should be fired, but he'll probably just get retrained, which he clearly needs, and Olive Garden needs to make sure all staff at that location are included. You have the legal right to have your medical equipment with you. You attempted to explain those rights so he could reset. He did not." - FaelingJester
"NOR! I hope the manager DID get into trouble! YOU didn’t get him into trouble. He did that all by himself."
"As a manager, he should know the laws for service animals."
"I’d also go on their social media page and Google and leave a bad review. Let others know that their service animal will be asked to leave." - Ginger630
"NOR. There are two questions they can ask: Is the service animal required because of a disability? What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?"
"Other than that, requiring documentation is against the Americans with Disabilities Act. I worked in a grocery store for five years, so it was easy to filter out people by asking these questions."
"Calling corporate was the correct thing to do because nothing your dog was doing was disruptive. This manager should get in trouble because they do not know the ADA guidelines. Everyone who works with the public should."
"NOTE: Emotional support animals are not service animals, and that’s usually what people faking a service animal will say. ESA’s are not trained to perform a task." - akriirose
"Honestly, you could sue them over his behavior; he violated federal law, and corporate or restaurant policy can’t supersede the law. He may get retrained on disability laws, or he may get fired because corporations don’t like being sued."
"If he had been intelligent, he would have verified his information with a higher-up before telling you that you’re wrong about the law. That’s on him, not you. Don’t feel guilty about it; he didn’t have to embarrass you that way. NOR." - Civil_Figure1045
"NOR. In fact, you reacted perfectly. Left and contacted the right people to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Go back again in a few weeks and enjoy the meal you deserved to have the first time."
"I’m sorry this happened to you." - Ordinary-Twist-3887
The OP might feel conflicted about potentially getting the restaurant manager in trouble, but it seemed he needed more training to recognize service animals and appropriately interact with people who might need additional accommodations to safely visit the restaurant.
Filing a complaint might feel drastic, but sometimes, that's the only way to get the right people's attention to make a positive difference.
