Service dog denied at Walmart

[LORHEL]

Permission to cross-post...

I'm sorry if I am not supposed to post this, but being that it is a Pit Bull, I am worried that this could also happen to our rottweilers.

We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
Chloe the Service Dog and Owner are Denied Access to Wal Mart
Target: Wal Mart Wal Mart, Service Dog Denied Access into Wal Mart, Wal-Mart
Sponsor: Sylva Penkov, Private PartySignatures: 1,312
Goal: 10,000
Deadline: Ongoing...
See Full Petition
Email this Petition

We had a recent experience at Walmart that was very unfortunate and I would like to ask your help to receive news coverage to help ensure the dignity and rights of those individuals depending upon Service Dogs and hopefully educate the public and businesses of Service Dog rights and American Pit Bull Terrier prejudice. Here are the key points of interest:

1.Walmart’s Illegal Treatment of Service Dogs
•Two Walmart managers requested myself and my Service Dog to leave because of her breed stating there were children in the store and she is an unstable and vicious breed - They continued to asked us to leave EVEN AFTER being informed of our Service Dog legal rights and what they were asking was illegal!
Please send your comments to:
Wal-Mart Stores—Feedback



Chloe's website:
www.chloethepitbull.com

[Dugganmom]

I read this somewhere else.. very angry!

[Skip]

Originally Posted by LORHEL

Permission to cross-post...

I'm sorry if I am not supposed to post this, but being that it is a Pit Bull, I am worried that this could also happen to our rottweilers.

We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
Chloe the Service Dog and Owner are Denied Access to Wal Mart
Target: Wal Mart Wal Mart, Service Dog Denied Access into Wal Mart, Wal-Mart
Sponsor: Sylva Penkov, Private PartySignatures: 1,312
Goal: 10,000
Deadline: Ongoing...
See Full Petition
Email this Petition

We had a recent experience at Walmart that was very unfortunate and I would like to ask your help to receive news coverage to help ensure the dignity and rights of those individuals depending upon Service Dogs and hopefully educate the public and businesses of Service Dog rights and American Pit Bull Terrier prejudice. Here are the key points of interest:

1.Walmart’s Illegal Treatment of Service Dogs
•Two Walmart managers requested myself and my Service Dog to leave because of her breed stating there were children in the store and she is an unstable and vicious breed - They continued to asked us to leave EVEN AFTER being informed of our Service Dog legal rights and what they were asking was illegal!
Please send your comments to:
Wal-Mart Stores—Feedback



Chloe's website:
www.chloethepitbull.com

What kind of service dog is the Pit?

[JoJo]

Lori I find this hard to believe. Looking over the sight the owner is "asking" for publicity from the media on this incident. I would think this situation would hit National news in a split second just because it's Wal Mart. Wal Mart has been a target for everything lately. Also attorneys would be lining up 12 feet deep just to sue, for Wal Mart supposedly broke a Federal Law.

I'll give Chloe's owner this much though, what a way to bring BSL out in the open and show the country what a good temperament, well trained Pit can be. It's a clever way of educating, but not at the expense of others.

Once again, I'm not a believer on this one. I'm truly hoping I'm right. I just can't believe Wal Mart would be that stupid.

[Skip]

I'll ask again..what kind of registered service dog is this particular Pit?

[heidi's mom]

I am certainly no fan of Wal-Mart, but I wasn't able to find anything on the internet on this story -- except dog-related cites that link back to Chloe's website. I couldn't find anything on CNN.com or abcnews.com.

I also searched for "pit-bull", "wal-mart", "service dog" and "chloe" on abc7.com: Southern California's news leader (the news station chloe's owner claims interviewed her) and didn't come up with anything related to this story. Maybe someone else will have more luck.

[moz205]

Well, I've signed the petition, can't hurt and sure could help. Ignorance is a terrible thing and there are ignorant people everywhere why not Wal Mart?

[Skip]

Originally Posted by moz205

Well, I've signed the petition, can't hurt and sure could help. Ignorance is a terrible thing and there are ignorant people everywhere why not Wal Mart?

Why sign for something if there's no explanation forthcoming yet? WHAT kind of service dog is this? Sounds fishy to me...to begin with, most service organizations (such as seeing-eye) don't use Pits.

[Skip]

I'm all for making dog-laws fair and not breed specific, but some people are just rabble rousers also. Unless this Pit was a confirmed, titled seeing-eye service dog (and I HIGHLY doubt that), then what other type of service dog would be necessary for shopping at Wal-Mart? Even the website doesn't mention it. This story stinks.

[seldown]

The local Wal Mart here denied me access with my Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy in pre-training. This was after I spoke with the manager who had told me it was ok to enter. The 'greeters' would not let me enter even though he was wearing his vest identifying him as a service dog in training. I returned home and called the manager. The manager was concerned because any service dog or service dog in training that has earned their 'jacket' or 'vest' can not be denied access. If this is a valid service dog Wal Mart can be sued. Some states have different laws concerning dogs in training but in MA once the vest has been issued they fall under the same consideration as a working service dog. The greeters were trying to enforce something that wasn't correct and he was only a black lab!
I also agree the story sounds somewhat fishy!

[checker]

I'm with Skip. First of all if the story is totally legit (WalMart denied access to a service dog that was NEEDED) then it is a blatent violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The problem I have, and I think several other are hitting on it, is that we don't know type of service dog it is. Obviously it wasn't a seeing-eye dog. I was in Sam's Club the other day and there was one of those "collector" type women in there with a beagle mix (collector = collects dogs because she thinks she is saving them. Even though there are 50 in her house living off the remains of each other). She was confronted by an employee and she said "well it's a service dog". Ya B.S! She was more than an able bodied person. Not blind, didn't limp, bent over, kneeled, walked perfectly. Now tell me why she needed this dog in a grocery store? She didn't! Perhaps it was in training (I doubt it though because a little mix dog 12 inches off the ground isn't going to be of much service). To make matters worse she walked around the store with an ice cream cone that she shared with the dog. She even took it to the food court and tried to share her soda with it. The dog spilt it all over the floor and she just picked up the cup and went and filled it back up. She didn't even attempt to clean it up. I guess the point to my rambling is that these people that just try to get around store and public policy by using the "service dog" excuse are really doing a dis-service to those that really need a service dog. Because of them, everyone is skeptical when they see the dog in the store. Shame on them!

[seldown]

If it is legit the woman has a valid reason for a lawsuit. A internet petition seems like overkill or even unneccessary. I think the website for the dog mentions the dog is a HUGS service dog. Not sure how many service dog agencies are out there. There are a lot of internet links that popped up when I did a google search.

[shybird]

Her portfolio says this:

as a General Service Dog, Breed Ambassador, Mobility Assistance, and Home evaluations. Types of mobility assistance would be: Retrieving items (keys, purse...), putting items away, balance assistance, opening/closing doors, turning on/off lights, etc. She also is a Therapy Dog and helps visit people in the hospitals, and will also try out Rally O competition. She is well trained and would also be available for speaking engagements and any type of media opportunities.
Not at all sure why she needs to be in Walmart though, unless she was needed to pick up things.

[jenn8five]

Originally Posted by heidi's mom

I also searched for "pit-bull", "wal-mart", "service dog" and "chloe" on abc7.com: Southern California's news leader (the news station chloe's owner claims interviewed her) and didn't come up with anything related to this story. Maybe someone else will have more luck.

YouTube - Walmart's Discrimination of Service Dogs

[fbkeays]

Originally Posted by Skip

I'm all for making dog-laws fair and not breed specific, but some people are just rabble rousers also. Unless this Pit was a confirmed, titled seeing-eye service dog (and I HIGHLY doubt that), then what other type of service dog would be necessary for shopping at Wal-Mart? Even the website doesn't mention it. This story stinks.

Skip, you need to educate yourself. Any dog that has been individually trained to migate a person with a disability can be a service dog. There is no requirement that they be certified.
A friend of mine has trained her rough collie to be her service dog. She has a bad back. She needs him to help her get out of soft chairs and get out of bed in the morning, among other things. You would never guess that she is disablied by just looking at her. Infact, the only thing that is good for her back is to walk and she does a lot of that. She trains and titles her dogs in obedience, herding and agility. On doctor's orders she had to retire from a lucertive job as a director of a major US company due to her disability.
I have a long history of being hard of hearing. I have trained my dog to alert me to certain things that I generally do not hear, or hear well. He would be considered a service dog under the law.
I wished I had him with me a few years ago. I could have died a from a hydrogen gas explosion. I didn't hear the alert and evacuate the building. My hearing loss caused people to go search the building in which I worked, risking their lives because I didn't hear the alarm. Fortunately there was no explosion, but there could have been.
People that I have known for years don't know that I am hard of hearing. I hide it well. Most people don't react well when you tell them that you are not "normal". I don't tell most people because I don't want to risk discrimination. Being hard of hearing has been limiting. I love to go to the movies, but I don't go often because it is a frustrating experience because I miss a lot of dialog. I watch tv with closed captioning. I do a lot of my correspondance via e-mail instead of the phone. Fortunately in business, that doesn't seem weird to insist on e-mail communication.
There is a woman with a beautiful Black Russian Terrier who is her seizure alert dog. Should she be denied entry to Walmart because she doesn't look like she is disabled and her BRT isn't a certified seeing eye dog? The woman with the seizure disorder hasn't had a seizure in over a year, but she could have one any time. Does that mean that she should leave her dog at home to go shopping?

There are lots of different breeds that are used as service dogs. There are any number of reasons why a person needs a service dog. Just because the dog is a pit bull doesn't mean that it isn't trained to assist a person with a disability.