Blind Man With Seeing Eye Dog Kicked Out Of Restaurant
Service animals can make a huge difference in quality of life for people with disabilities, and under the Americans with Disabilities Act, these pets are allowed inside any public business where a customer is allowed. But apparently, one restaurant in Sacramento did not get the memo. James Malone, a blind man, took his black Labrador seeing-eye dog inside Sun Sky Indian Restaurant in South Sacramento, where he was told abruptly by the manager, "no dogs, get out. Just get out."
This upsetting incident was picked up by CBS, where their correspondent Kurtis Ming of the segment "Kurtis Investigates," sent in another blind man, Mike, with his seeing eye dog. Hidden cameras caught the restaurant manager's similar reaction to the dog. But this time, Mike pushed back and cited the Americans with Disabilities Act. The owner eventually gave in.
When CBS reached out to the restaurant for comment, the owners admitted that they didn't know about the law, and "feel sorry" for how they treated James and Mike. The restaurant owners also said that they would teach their employees about the law. In India, there are actually no laws that protect the rights of service dog owners.
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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi