Service dogs can be a life-changing resource for people with all kinds of problems and disabilities, including many military veterans. But some people don’t understand the important role these dogs play, and give their owners a hard time.
That was the case recently, as one Vietnam veteran says he and his trained service dog were denied service as a bar. Now, he’s speaking out and raising awareness.
David Skaggs is a Vietnam War veteran from Wagoner County, Oklahoma, who has a beloved service dog, a German shepherd named Sandy who was trained by 4 Paws 4 Patriots.
Sandy is always by his side, and he usually doesn’t have any trouble taking her places. As a certified service animal, she has a legal right to be allowed into establishments under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But one bar apparently didn’t get the memo, refusing Skaggs and Sandy entry last week.
The vet wrote on social media that he went to the bar to meet with some friends, but a waitress stopped him, saying he couldn’t let the dog in. Skaggs argued that he was allowed to bring his service dog in and they had no right to deny him entry.
She then brought in a bouncer or manager to “intimidate” him, but he stood his ground: when asked to provide credentials and identification, he replied that real service dogs did not need ID and that the bar was breaking federal law by refusing him service.
“He was talking down to me, which I don’t (like),” Skaggs told 2 News Oklahoma. “It’s hard to intimidate a combat veteran.”
The bar refused to let him in, and Skaggs left the establishment, but vented his frustrations online and took his story to 2 News, hoping to raise awareness of the legal rights of disabled people and their service animals.
The Americans with Disabilities Act protects service animals and their owners under federal law. Businesses are only allowed to ask two questions about service animals: “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?” They are not allowed to ask for any documentation, ask the dog to demonstrate its task or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability.
Businesses are only allowed to ask owners to remove their service animal if they are not housebroken or if they are “out of control,” but it’s highly doubtful that Sandy, a thoroughly trained service animal who accompanies Skaggs everywhere, would’ve displayed any behavioral issues that would justify a denial of service.
“She was trained at the minimum security prison in McAlester,” Skaggs told 2 News. “She’s by my side constantly. She never leaves my side.”
It’s upsetting that an establishment would deny service to a disabled US veteran over his service animal, but Skaggs is not the first to face this issue. Other people with disabilities have been denied entry over their service dogs and even been accused of faking their disabilities.
Many people genuinely rely on their service animals, and denying them entry into establishments is not only wrong but illegal under federal law. We hope Skaggs and Sandy were able to get some justice in this situation.
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