The Do’s & Don’ts of Confronting a Dog In Public - For Employees
So, you’re a waiter working at a restaurant, where health codes dictate that non-service animals are strictly prohibited. You see someone walk in with a dog, some sort of medium-sized mixbreed. That dog is in a perfect heel, wearing a head collar, and ignoring the people around him, but you don’t see a vest. What do you do?
You’re a cashier working at your local grocery store, and pets shouldn’t be there because getting dog hair on the merchandise would be gross. Somebody walks in with their tiny chihuahua in a carrier bag. The chihuahua is sitting inside, calm, but aware. You can just barely make out some sort of vest. The owner seems perfectly healthy though and the dog is not on the leash. When she grabs a cart, she puts the small dog inside it. Should this be addressed?
You’re highly allergic to dogs and you work at a home improvement store, with lots of loud noises and open space. You see a big, hairy golden retriever walk in through the entrance and instantly feel like you want to sneeze just thinking about it. The dog is wearing a vest that says “emotional support dog,” but he pulls at his owner any which way, wags his tail when people come near, and the owner encourages people to pet him. The dog doesn’t respond to his name, and is sniffing the floor and the merchandise. Is this okay?
When You See A Well-Behaved Dog Walk Into Your Store:
Do:
-Assume the dog is a legitimate Service Dog, and treat the handler kindly.
-Approach the handler calmly and ask “Is that a Service Dog, and if so, what task does it perform?”
-Ignore the dog
-Talk to the handler like they are a normal person, maybe compliment them on their dog’s behavior.
-Approach the handler with an offensive attitude, angrily comment, “We don’t allow dogs in here!”
-Reach down to pet the dog, while talking only to the dog, and ignoring the handler.
-Demand to see any sort of documentation, doctor’s note, or identification.
-Ask them for proof of the dog’s tasks, by requesting that the dog perform a task in front of you.
-Deny the owner access, on account that you “don’t believe the dog is legitimate”
-Follow the handler around, waiting for the dog to make a mistake.
-Tell the handler that their dog can’t be a service dog because of the dog’s breed or size, or argue that the only Service Dogs that exist are guide dogs.
When You See An Ill-Mannered Dog Walk Into Your Store:
Do:
-Approach the handler and ask if the dog is a Service animal and what task he is trained to perform.
-Ask the handler politely to remove their animal, since it is acting poorly (ways of acting poorly include, going to the bathroom inside, lunging at onlookers, vocalizing unnecessarily, being generally unkempt and unclean, showing signs of aggression)
-Inform the handler that they are welcome in the store, without their dog.
-Calmly express to them why their dog is being denied.
-Allow a dog that performs “emotional support” or an “emotional support animal” into your store. These animals do not have any legal rights to public places.
-Assume that every dog that enters your store is going to act like the bad ones.
-Accept any form of certification as “proof” they the animal is a service dog.
-Deny the handler access into the store, after they have removed their dog.
-Approach them angrily or with ill-intent.
When A Service Dog Enters Your Store But Somebody There Has Severe Allergies:
Do:
-accommodate both disabilities by separating the two people as much as possible.
-ensure the dog is legitimate by asking if it is a service dog and what tasks it is trained to perform.
-remember that legitimate service dog will be well groomed in order to minimize the risk of anybody around them having an allergic reaction.
-take note as to whether or not the breed of dog is anti-allergenic, like a poodle-mix.
-stay calm and inform the service dog handler of the possible allergic problems; most service dog handlers will do what they can to minimize the problem.
-freak out and deny the Service Dog access
-force the person with allergies to be in close proximity of the person with the dog
-deny access to either party
-allow an unkempt dog into your store
-tuck the Service Dog handler away or force them to participate in whatever way that would make their trip more difficult or impossible
**In relation to US law, in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
