Access challenges with assistance dogs

I have had a few access challenges with my dog, but none that upset me so much as the one I had this past weekend.

I was in an outlet mall and went into a "County Kitchen" type store.  I walked to the espresso bar in the back of the store and grabbed a Coke.   A woman rushed over to me and said, "Miss, you can't have your pet in here".  I said that he is an assistance dog, so it is legal for me to have him with me.   I work very hard at being pleasant, polite and informative in these moments.

She said, "It's my store and you can't have a pet here!"  I told her again that he is an assistance dog and would she like to see my certification card to verify that it is legal for me to have him with me.   She said, it really didn't matter, but ok.

I took out the i.d. card Summit had given to me and handed it to her.  Then, she turned around the corner of the espresso bar and disappeared from my sight.

I waited a few minutes and then went to find her.  She was just around the corner, copying everything on the card down and scrutinizing it.   She looked at me and said, "It's my store and I don't want you in the back here by the food, so I'll ring you up in front."

By this time I was angry and embarrassed, as many of the shoppers and staff were looking at us.  We got to the front checkout and she told me how much I owed her.   I gave her the money and asked her to give me my card back.  She said she had already.  I looked in my billfold and it wasn't there.   I told her this and she said, "Oh, I just reached in and put it back in your purse!"

At this point, I was done.  I was shaking and ready to cry, just from the embarrassment, frustration and feeling bullied.   She asked me what state it was that it was legal for me to bring my pet in.  I stated that it was legal here, in this state, as well as anywhere in the US.   She said, "I'm an ex-cop and I'm going to look into this!"  She was very rude.  I said that if she'd like to call the police, I'd be more than happy to wait and they could explain the law to her.   Although I was maintaining my anger, we both knew I was jabbing back.

At that point, she quit talking with me and said I needed to leave her store.  I did.

A friend I was shopping with went back and talked to her.  The woman had calmed down and was listening to my friend, as well as to her employees.   She eventually came outside and apologized, stating that just 5 minutes before I came in a woman had brought in her Chihuahua and wouldn't leave.  She also said that the health department does surprise inspections and she never knows what to expect.  She apologized for hurting me and said she couldn't believe she acted that way.   Although I was crying, I felt like it was a pretty good ending to the situation.  Had she not come out and apologized, I fully intended to report her to the Department of Justice.

Anonymous