Canadian Vet with PTSD service dog humiliated at restaurant

Restaurant turns away Shellbrook vet with service dog
CJME News Talk
Reported by Thia James
First Posted: Mar 21, 2014

A Canadian armed forces veteran’s visit to a Prince Albert restaurant is now the subject of a legal matter after he was refused service when he had his service dog in tow.

Michael Sharron, 43, needs his service dog Rylie with him for medical reasons. He has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and has had Rylie for just over a year.

The Shellbrook man took Rylie with him to lunch on March 3 along with his father-in-law. It was supposed to be a break from the errands the men were doing that day. They went to Smitty’s, located in the South Hill Mall.

At the door, they were greeted by a man who told them that dogs are not allowed in the restaurant.

“And I told him that he was a service dog, and he was certified and he said, ‘Is he a seeing-eye dog?’, I said, ‘No, he’s for a medical service for a condition that I have,’” Sharron said. He told the man that Rylie is a medical services dog that he needs for his medical condition. He said the man asked him what his condition is, and he replied that it was none of his business.

“And he said, ‘Well, he’s not allowed in then,” Sharron said. “I said, ‘Well, he’s a service dog. He has the same rights as a seeing-eye dog. He’s a service animal.’” He said the man again asked about Sharron’s condition, and again he did not tell him, but explained he had paperwork for Rylie.

Service dogs such as Rylie help those with PTSD, as well as other disorders, manage their symptoms. Sharron keeps Rylie’s leash tied to his waist, and he provides Sharron with a distraction. His wife and young children have noticed a change in him since he got Rylie.

The conversation between Sharron and the man was loud enough to draw attention from other people in the restaurant, according to Sharron.

“I’m looking around and feeling like if I can crawl into a hole, I would,” he said.
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