New York City, United States, 10/05/2021 / Top Wire News /
What would you do if a customer walks into your premises with a service dog? After all, dogs are quite awesome and considered to be the best friend of a man. Dogs are everywhere around us and one often comes across people walking with their service dogs in all sorts of establishments. It’s not uncommon to be greeted by a dog in a restaurant, diner, airport, park, or other public place.
Are dogs welcome everywhere?
After watching dogs in public places, one could easily assume that dogs are welcome everywhere, but this is certainly not the case. One business establishment in Colorado turned away a customer because the customer had a service dog, although he didn’t have the paperwork to prove it.
The customer, a veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, told the local television station NBC Channel 11 that the “she (the dog) helps me with my conditions.” The problem was that the business served food- and customers complained to the management about the presence of the dog.
As per Colorado Law, service dogs are allowed in restaurants and the owner of the restaurant accepted it. The problem was that the veteran didn’t have any paperwork to prove that his dog was a service dog. The owner insisted that there was no paperwork to prove that the dog was indeed a service dog.
Here the law was not on her side, as state law in Colorado does not make it mandatory for a service dog owner to carry the paperwork. The owner needs to ask and trust the response given by a dog owner. Although, it is a crime in Colorado to misrepresent an animal as a service animal.
What does the Law Say?
The law also protects business owners as it allows them to ask the owner to remove an animal if the animal acts aggressively or attacks others. But in this case, the dog didn’t attack anyone and neither did it act aggressively towards others present in the restaurant.
The law treats service animals and emotional comfort animals differently. Service animals are defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act and have a right to accompany their owner in every establishment even if there is a no-pet policy in place. Service animals are not classified as pets as a service animal is trained to assist its owner in performing several tasks that the owner can’t perform by himself due to disability.
A simple note from a doctor is not enough to make an animal a service animal as the law requires an animal to be trained to perform certain tasks to qualify as a service animal.
What rights do small business owners have?
Small business owners have a right to ask the owner to remove the animal from their premises if the animal barks, acts aggressively, harms, or disturbs others irrespective of its status as a service animal. If the service dog damages the property, then the owner can charge its handler for the damage caused.
Source: https://sba.thehartford.com/business-management/dogs-in-the-office/
Source: Story.KISSPR.com
