Stories

On October 25, 2011, there was a story about a service dog being denied access to a Winners store in Edmonton. The dog provides care for a nine-year-old autistic girl who, without the dog, may wander off or go home with strangers. The mother of the girl filed a complaint with Winners and received an apology and gift card, but upon returning to the store they were denied access once again. The mother is now taking legal action against Winners (CBC News 2012).

Another example involves a deaf couple with their service dog. “When the restaurant manager came to Nancy and Steve’s table to tell them ‘no dogs,’ Steve handed over the ID card and politely explained the situation. The man simply refused to be impressed. ‘No dogs, period.’ ‘But this is unlawful,’ my friends protested. ‘No dogs.’ ‘And what do you do when blind people come in?’ Steve asked with great annoyance. The answer: ‘They tie their dogs up outside just like everybody else.’ A few days later, after a communication with their lawyer, the restaurant owner, terribly ashamed of and apologetic at his employee’s behaviour, sent [them] a check in compensation.” (Ogden 1992, p.134).
These examples demonstrate both people’s ignorance of service dog laws and the possible bias against non-guide service dogs.