[Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Woman with guide dog says civil rights wereviolated

[Ken Volonte]

We all know that seeing eye dog is a brand name just as "Frigidaire or 
Scotch tape;but to be sticklers on this point is just asking for trouble. 
When the manager asked, "Is that a seeing eye dog", the answer should have 
been a simple yes.  Ms. Ballou knew that.  She just wanted a public scene 
and an excuse for a law suit.  She met all the responsibilities incumbent on 
guide dog users and more.

    While we're at it, I take great objection and offence to my guide dog 
being referred to as a service animal.
So there!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tina thomas " <tinadt at sbcglobal.net>
To: <cagdu at nfbcal.org>
Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 5:14 PM
Subject: [Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Woman with guide dog says civil rights 
wereviolated


> Woman with guide dog says civil rights were violated
> 6/2/2009 1:15 PM
> By: Brandi Powell
>
>
> Rusty, the leader dog.
> Texas Hearing and Service Dogs says guide dogs have been helping people 
> with
> visual challenges ever since World War I, but those who use them still 
> face
> some challenges.
>
> One Central Texas woman who uses what's called a "leader dog" said her 
> civil
> rights have been violated.
>
> Though some people may not know, there are certain legal rights and
> responsibilities of those who use guide dogs.
>
> Copperas Cove resident Nanette Ballou relies on her leader dog, Rusty, to
> help her get around.
>
>
> Ballou said she has very limited vision so her guide dog's always by her
> side.
>
> Ballou said she and Rusty have had trouble at some establishments and said
> it was no different on May 7.
>
> "[We] went to Taco Bell with my daughter and two grandchildren,"
> Ballou said. "Got dinner sat down to eat it. Manager came out. She asked 
> me
> if the dog was a seeing eye dog. And of course, my dog is a leader dog."
>
> A leader dog is a guide dog, just trained at a different school.
>
> "At the end of our discussion, she told me she was going to call the cops,
> and I invited her to do so," Ballou said.
>
>
> Copperas Cove resident Nanette Ballou.
> Ballou said when the Copperas Cove Police arrived, "They just walked over
> and said, 'Lady, you and the dog gotta leave.'"
>
> Ballou went on to say, "And so I argued with him adamantly, and when I 
> could
> see that this man wasn't going anywhere with my comments, I finally said,
> 'Here's the law book, do you want to read it?' He refused."
>
> Ballou said one of the officers did eventually read her law book.
>
> Ballou showed News 8 the harness that identifies Rusty as a certified 
> guide
> dog, and the identification card that identifies them as a team.
>
> Texas Hearing and Service Dogs said this is not required by law, but 
> that's
> why the organization's big goal is education.
>
> "But no matter what kind of credentials any kind of professional dog has, 
> if
> it is misbehaving in public, if it's dirty, if it's interfering with the
> goods and services that the business is providing, then no matter what 
> kind
> of credential it has, it shouldn't be allowed there," President of Texas
> Hearing and Service Dogs Sheri Soltes said.
>
> Ballou said that wasn't the case with her.
>
> "It's very typical that law enforcement is not notified about it because 
> it
> is not a law that comes up a lot in their day-to-day activities," Soltes
> said.
>
> But, Ballou said she feels her civil rights were violated by Taco Bell and
> the City of Copperas Cove.
>
> So she said she is going to sue them both, on the state and federal level.
>
> "The government needs to be involved with this sort of thing because it 
> does
> happen around the country," she said.
>
> Ballou said she's already filed a complaint with the Texas ACLU.
> She said she's been told the city attorney is not going to pursue any
> charges against Taco Bell.
>
> The city has not returned News 8's call to confirm.
>
> The Copperas Cove Police Department also did not return News 8's call 
> asking
> for comment.
>
> For more information on rights and responsibilities of guide dog users, 
> log
> onto www.servicedogs.org, or call (877) TEX-DOGS.
>
>
>
>
> Taco Bell's Response
>
>
>
>  "Taco Bell welcomes all customers into our restaurants, including those
> with disabilities. This includes customers who require the use of service
> animals, and from time to time, we have a customer who is accompanied by a
> service animal into the restaurant. Our managers are instructed to
> accommodate our customers' needs for a service animal.
>
> In this particular case, the customer's need for a service animal was not
> readily apparent, and out of concern for our other patrons, our store
> manager asked the customer to provide some confirmation that the dog was a
> service animal. Because the disturbance continued even after the Copperas
> Cove police arrived, the police officers asked the customer to leave and
> eventually escorted her from the premises. We regret that this disturbance
> occurred, but Taco Bell firmly believes that our manager acted reasonably 
> in
> this situation."
>
> Don Barton
> Austaco, Taco Bell Franchisee
>
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