Service dogs are legally protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In general, this means that businesses, non-profits, government offices, and more “must allow service animals to go most places where the public can go. This is true even if they have a ‘no pets’ policy,” per ADA.gov.
Service animals are distinct from “therapy” or “emotional support” animals, and, as previously noted by the Daily Dot, they are not required to operate with a vest or documentation, as there is no official certification process in the United States.
Despite their legally protected status, many people who utilize service animals have faced considerable difficulty obtaining the accommodations they are legally required to receive. For example, a man who is blind claimed he was kicked out of a restaurant for having a seeing-eye dog; another was questioned for having a dog trained to detect allergens. An Uber customer says that three separate Ubers canceled on them because of their service animal.
Now, another person has sparked discussion after claiming that a manager attempted to remove him from a restaurant for having a service animal.
Denied indoor dining for a service dog
In a clip with over 838,000 views, TikTok user @k9trainunit shows an interaction between a person who has a service animal and an alleged manager at a restaurant called Community Pie. The manager is identified as Lucas in the video.
Over the course of the video, the man with the service animal and Lucas have a protracted argument about whether one can have a service animal inside. Businesses are legally required to accommodate service animals in most places where the public can go; however, Lucas says the animal is only allowed outside.
“We don’t allow dogs inside, no matter what,” Lucas says. “If you have a service animal, we allow you to sit on the patio on a leash.”
The person with the service animal responds by saying that the restaurant is violating federal law if this is truly the case.
Lucas then asks what the animal is to be used for. According to the ADA’s website, a worker may only ask two questions: “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”
The video ends before the situation has been resolved.
@k9trainunit Community pie restaurant service animal refussal
♬ original sound – K9 Train Unit
The TikToker offers an update
The TikToker later followed this video up with another video purporting to contain a message sent by Lucas’ mother.
The message states that Lucas “is learning” and that the TikToker “can trust that much has been learned and taken into consideration.” The message also contains a request to remove the original video.
“They promised to get some cards and inform their staff with the information about Service Animals,” the TikToker adds at the end of the video. The TikToker says he also returned to the restaurant but did not have issues.
As for the deletion of the video, the TikToker says he will not be doing so.
“Lucas’ mom is saying that Lucas is being bullied, which, I do not believe that’s true,” he says. “I just think she wants the video down, which, I mean, I would too if some video portrayed me as being bad, but it’s the truth. There’s nothing discriminative or anything bullying or anything harassing. It was just factual information, so the video will stay.”
@k9trainunit Lucas community pie part 2 service dogs community #fypシ゚viral ♬ original sound – K9 Train Unit
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users offered their responses to the TikToker’s issue.
“Isn’t that like a $60k fine??” asked a user.
According to Training Leader, “ADA Civil Penalties range from $75,000 for first violation to $150,000 for the second.”
“How is this common knowledge to people NOT in the service industry but restaurants are completely clueless??” questioned a second.
“Goodness, so sorry this keeps happening to people & their service animals,” stated a further user. “MORE EDUCATION is required for Service related businesses.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Community Pie via website contact form, Angela via email, as well as to @k9trainunit via TikTok direct message and comment.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post ‘Isn’t that like a $60k fine??’: Worker tries to kick man with service dog out of restaurant appeared first on The Daily Dot.
WATCH VIDEO
DOWNLOAD VIDEO
