According to the Democrat & Chronicle, a 24-year-old New York woman was denied service at a local Starbucks on Sunday because her service dog was not wearing anything identifying him as a service animal.
The woman says she stopped at the coffee shop after taking a long walk with her dog, Zero, but was quickly met with resistance.
A YouTube video of the incident shows the woman asking the Starbucks employee if she was being refused access because of her service dog.
The employee can be heard replying, “No, I’m not. I’m telling you that you cannot come in with your service dog.”
When the woman once again asks if she’s being denied service because of her service dog, the employee says he sees “no proof that that’s a service dog.”
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not specify that a service animal wear any kind of identifiable collar or vest.
The woman says her service dog, Zero, helps her cope with memory issues stemming from a traumatic brain injury she suffered two years ago in a crash between a bus and the ambulance she was working on as an emergency responder.
On Monday, Starbucks officials said they were trying to reach out to the woman to apologize for the incident.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened,” the spokeswoman tells the Democrat & Chronicle. “[She] did have an experience that’s absolutely inconsistent with our values and our service animal policy.”
According to the spokeswoman, Starbucks trains employees at hiring to simply ask if an animal is a service animal and to welcome customers who say yes without further questions.
Starbucks to apologize to customer with service dog [Democrat & Chronicle]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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