Under doctor’s orders Martha Hyatt is allowed to have a service dog. Jackie, a yellow lab, wears a special vest and a tattoo to prove it. “I have a mental disorder. I’m bipolar and I’m very prone to panic attacks,” Mrs. Hyatt explained. “She goes everywhere with me. She’s allowed in hotels, motels. She’s allowed in all restaurants.”
Go here to read the rest:
Woman’s service dog kept out of funer… – Live 5 News
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This lady was wronged by a totally ignorant funeral home owner. What other laws is he breaking in his business. Some funeral homes have been know to sell body (bone pieces for grafts, etc.) parts.
A business should know the laws and be respectful of a person who has a disability. The dogs vest was practically a “Billboard” telling him that the dog was a service dog. Is the funeral home owner/director blind or just ignorant???
Unrelated to the story, but the dog has a tattoo? Is that normal? I have tattoos and they HURT to get done and itched like crazy to heal. Doesn’t seem needed to tattoo a dog to say it’s a SD, vests will do that just the same.
This is way too familiar to me and my particular geographic location, where the Police officers have no idea what the heck ‘ADA’ stands for. American Dental Association?
What is worse, I gave the store which called the police on me, without telling me they were doing so, every bit of information needed for them to simply pick up a phone or get on the internet and look up the rights of individuals who use service dogs.
I was so humiliated. The officers were so rude. As if I would choose ‘Dollar General’ as
a ‘hot spot’ for taking my dog out for the day. Forget that spring fed pond he loves swimming in. Let’s go upset the public!
I did file a complaint with the department of justice, against the Store and The Police Department. I have not heard if anything came of it or not. I doubt it.
These people do not have any business being on the streets, let alone, being part of a law enforcement angency.
When they came ‘busting’ into the ‘Dollar General’, after I had already checked out and was about to leave, they all but had their guns drawn, as if this was some state of emergency for the entire region. As they were asking me why I brought the dog into the store, and I was attempting to explain it to them, I was also trying to leave the store, but the detained me so that they could embarass and harass me in front of everyone standing around, watching the show. My poor dog was suffering most of all because he was signaling to me, and because of my situation, I could not reinforce his signal or make any type of move because according to the police, they could arrest me for trespassing. (Sure, as I was attempting to exit the store, after being ‘allowed’ and even ‘welcomed’ to pay my money to the store for what I had purchased, I was now going to go to jail for it all.
The male officer was a #%@! The female looked like she was on steroids or played basketball in the Olympics for Russia. They were really ready to ‘haul me in’. As they made every attempt to provoke me into doing the slightest thing that would allow for an arrest, I completely shut down and my anxiety over took me. I finally was awoken out of my ‘trance’ by the male officer, while he told me “Get the Hell out of here, before we do arrest you.
I knew they wanted to arrest me so badly they could taste it and I walked past them, to my car without saying a word. I was in no shape to drive, but as the officers came out, I noted they where in two seperate cars, and both of them sat and their cars and just stared in my direction. Afraid they would arrest me for not leaving, I reluctantly started my car, knowing that driving was not a very good idea for me at the time. When I pulled out onto the main street, the female officer pulled out directly behind me and turned on her lights.
I was so completely overwhelmed with the entire situation, I froze up. I put my breaks on and sat in the road for a few seconds while people honked at me and passed. I finally snapped enough to see a driveway to pull into up ahead, because the road offered no ‘shoulder’ area to pull over onto.
I pulled into this driveway and again, I shut down. When I came around, Neo, my SD, was doing his job and pawing me and licking my face, to snap me out of the daze I go into at times.
In my hand was a ticket for an expired inspection sticker. I had signed it, but I promise I do not even remember doing so.
I sat in that parking lot for about an hour, afraid to move, then thinking I would be arrested for trespassing on this property as well, and I attempted to compose myself and drive the rest of the way home. It took every bit of energy for me to drive 3 miles and stay focused on the road ahead.
When I finally realized I was in my room and safe, I cried, and wondered how many more times this kind of thing was going to happen to me.
The people in this area are not known for their worldliness, wisdom or intelligence. I was certain that if Neo and I were going to work together, we were going to have to get over some huge hurdles in the process.
I wrote to the local paper and they did publish the article and clearly explained to people, regarding Service Animals and the rights of those using these wonderful beings, to access of anywhere else the average member of the public is ‘allowed’ to tread.
It took me a long time to ‘venture’ out again.
I cringe when someone approaches me while I have Neo in any place where the family ‘pet’ would not be allowed.
I love the Service Dog Tags that you guys supply because it has the already answered questions on the back of the card, and the answer clearly given as well. Also the information number to the ADA is clearly given on the back of Neo’s ID as well. Neo wears one, and I generally carry an extra in my pocket,always ready to pull it out for the next uninformed individual, who may be looking to just really ruin my day, or perhaps, even learn something new. (these are rare)
They never want to learn it seems. That would be admitting that they did not already know something, and oh my! How shameful.
Thanks and safe journeys to everyone
Kim
Leave a Comment