It’s publicly known that service animals are allowed to accompany their handlers everywhere. But, the rise of pets masquerading as service animals is ruining it for those who actually need them.
Case in point, WFLA reports that a blind man was kicked out of a restaurant because of his Seeing Eye dog. The man, Mike Keech, said the incident happened at Florida’s Overtime Sport Bar & Grill. “The bartender came from around the bar and said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t serve you,’ before we even tried to order,” he recalled, “And I said, ‘That’s not right.’ This dog is protected by the American’s with Disabilities Act.”
Unfortunately, Keech and his service animal Nicco had to leave.
The restaurant owner, Cindy Smith, takes responsibility for what happened, even though she wasn’t there and believes this mix-up wouldn’t have occurred if people didn’t bring pets into the establishment.
She said her team has had to crack down on fake service animals because they’re causing trouble. “In the past week someone came in saying they had a service dog and it almost bit a customer,” she explained.
Because of this, she is now further training her staff on how to identify a real service animal. That might be tricky considering people can buy vests and certificates that can make their pet appear to be one, which, Smith admits, makes it “a little difficult in recognizing what’s legitimate and not legitimate.”
Pet and support animals are not protected under the American’s with Disabilities Act. Furthermore, Michigan State University says at least 33 states — including Florida — have enacted laws making it illegal for people to fraudulently claim that their pet is a service animal.