Just because a dog doesn't wear a vest and I am not blind, does not mean I'm lying about my dog or my disability.
Has something like this happened to you at Starbucks?
Like many people who think that they are so special that they are the only ones who should have service dogs, they first deny that you are disabled then they deny that you have a legal service dog.
The ADA legal definition of disability is at http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm... Summery at http://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm
"...defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered."
ADA definition of a service dog is at http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010....
"Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."
No vest, no ID, no papers, no proof, no legal standards required for your dog except these loose ADA requirements.
You can contact the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division at ADA.complaint@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-800-514-0301
Calling the Starbucks corporate hotline may get you quicker satisfaction. Companies on a corporate level are very sensitive to these matters even though franchises are often negligence of the law. They will likely quickly educate them.
The handler of a service dog in training has no legal public venue access rights unless the individual state in which they reside has laws which grant such access rights. Federal law (the ADA) does not apply for handlers of dogs in training. Unless the state in which you reside has laws which grant such access rights, you had no business having your dog in training in the public venue.
You make no mention of your states laws (if any), and since Federal law does not apply, you were possibly in violation of health codes, which if so, you were the one performing illegal activity. Once again, this is only the case if your state does not have laws granting trainers public venue access.
If your state DOES have laws granting access to trainers of service dogs, then you experienced very poor customer service and should complain to the proper business authority. Filing a claim with the Department of Justice (an ADA claim) will do no good since Federal law does not apply. Since you simply received poor customer service without actually being denied service, this is not a case of 'discrimination' and civil rights laws, either Federal or state, would not apply.
Add: She cant file an ADA complaint because she was not denied service. The DOJ cannot go after businesses that have rude employees. She obtained service, so there is nothing to base the complaint on. There was no discrimination.
If you don't stick up for your rights you won't have any.
How to File an ADA Complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm
You can also blast them on social media. https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksAccess... would be a good place to start.
ADD: If your dog is individually trained IN ANY WAY directly related to helping you with your disability, then it IS a service dog. If it's still under training, that doesn't matter, the law is clear: "Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." Service dogs should always be under training, learning new skills, perfecting old ones. There are no qualifiers as to how much training your dog needs, the second it is individually trained directly related to helping you with your disability, then it is a legal service dog. It can be denied access if it's not under control as any dog can be, but your dog was under control. And you told them it was a service dog. No vests, no papers, no proof is required. Starbucks is on the hotseat because of a lawsuit due to discrimination against deaf customers. Don't let these people treat you like a second class citizen too. Call the Starbucks Ethics and Compliance Helpline at 1-800-611-7792. If you don't get immediate results, file a ADA complaint. Not just for your sake but for all disabled customers.
The worker who yelled at you did not see the dog's service vest and assumed you were just bringing in an ordinary pet. Her blasting you shows what kind of creep she is. The cashier did not like being handed the 4 cards so he showed his ****, too. What a team!
You were wrong by not having the dog's vest displayed. They were wrong by their actions, too. Why don't you just boycott that location?
Just because your dog is not wearing a vest.... DOES MEAN you are either a liar or a poor service dog trainer!!!
If you were legitimate, you would know that's it's a health department requirement to show proof the dog is in training. This is done by 1. the dog wearing the vest in public. 2. you have certification paperwork for that service agency you are working with.
Next time leave your pet in the car.
Did you have papers to prove that your dog is a service dog? You need proof of your disability that requires a service dog and proof that your dog is a service dog, whether it be the training papers, etc. which your dog should have if he is a service dog. But if you do have the proof and they still refuse to serve you, then you go right to the manager because they are legally supposed to allow a service dog in any public place.
It isn't legal to have to a dog in there because they serve food. You don't have a service dog, so should not have brought it in.
