Blind To Reason, Part 6

Australia, Criminal & Illegal, Employees, Pets & Animals, Restaurant | Working | February 15, 2017

(I am with my friend, who is an Assistance Dog trainer. She trains Seeing Eye Dogs, but also Autism Assistance Dogs. On this occasion she has one of her dogs with her, fully kitted out in its harness and vest – clearly a working dog. We enter a restaurant.)

Waitress: “Oh, no. No, no. No dogs. You cannot bring a dog in here.”

Friend: “This is a service dog. It is permitted.”

Waitress: “No way. You’re clearly not blind.”

(Our mouths both dropped as it is utterly illegal to turn away someone with an Assistance Dog in our state, even if it is only in training. We stared in silence until she begrudgingly let us in. Not all Assistance Dogs are for blind people, but ALL Assistance Dogs are permitted in restaurants!)

This story is part of the Autism Awareness roundup!