'I don’t know why he thought he wouldn’t be exposed': Restaurant gets community support after guy with fake service dog tries to use ADA laws against them

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Sep 14, 2023 1:00 PM EDT

The first thing you should know about actual Service Animals is that they will not be causing any kind of ruckus in public. They are highly trained to handle any common situation in society like eating out at a restaurant, taking the bus, grocery shopping, etc. You probably wouldn't even notice a working Service Animal sitting next to you at a restaurant or the mall because they are so quiet and stick close to their handlers. If you see a "Service Animal" barking at someone, or pulling to play with another passing dog, or jumping on people, etc., then that is most definitely NOT a Service Animal. Maybe that is a Service Animal in training, but even then you should see that behavior quickly fixed by the trainer. 

When people fake their pets as Service Animals then they potentially create an environment where someone with a real Service Animal could lose their very much needed medical assistance from that dog. Why? Because if that dog distracts the real Service Animal during an emergency or just gets the dog to break out of "work mode" and into "playful dog mode" while in public, that is ADA grounds for retiring that dog as a certified working dog and demoted to just a pet. Which is hard on the person in actual need of the Service Animal. 

So when this guy brought in his "Service Animal" dog to a beloved local burger joint and started Karening out, neighbors stepped in. This guy's dog was very obviously not an actual Service Animal. It was barking at everyone, tried to lunge out of the restaurant, and even tried to bite on of the servers. The establishment had initially let them in under the guise that he really was a working dog, but it quickly became clear he wasn't. So they asked him and his dog to leave. 

This made the Karen burst out and he went to local news outlets to say this place was violating ADA laws. However, the burger joint's beloved community stepped in to expose this fake. Read the entire situation below!  

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  • 01
    Shoe - "It was obvious it wasn't [a service dog] because of the dog's outrageous behavior."
    via Wallpaper Flare
  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/41flavorsandthensome 20 hours ago Good luck convincing people this is an ADA violation, buddy S
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 03
    Font - There's a local burger place that got a lot of traction after being featured on some food show. It was crazy busy already, but this just ramped it up. It sucks when I have a craving, but this much business means they'll be around for a long time.
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 04
    Font - About a year ago, a patron went to the media. His version is that the restaurant violated his rights by not allowing him in with his service dog.
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 05
    Font - I don't know why he thought he wouldn't be exposed. This place is always busy. It's always packed, except for the five or ten minutes when they first open and people are entering to order and find tables. He was very quickly shut down by the many witnesses who said he and his dog were allowed in, and then the dog
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 06
    Font - • would not stop barking at everyone • made repeated attempts to dash out (but was on leash, so never escaped) • tried to attack patrons • attacked the server
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 07
    Font - The man did not deny any of this. He even doubled down and said he has rights, and his dog would never bite anyone. Last I heard, he has a lifelong ban at the restaurant and still trying to garner public sympathy.
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 08
    Font - Edit: I should have put service dog in quotes lol I thought it was obvious I think it isn't because of the dogs outrageous behavior. One of
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 09
    Font - my family members qualifies for a service dog, but was daunted by the cost/fundraising that would be needed. I know some people effectively train their own, but this dog sounds way too reactive to have received any training.
    via u/41flavorsandthensome
  • 10
    Font - TheFilthyDIL 19 hr. ago There was a service dog on our most recent airline flight. She was a perfect lady. Her job was to alert her diabetic owner if her blood sugar went up too much or down too much.
    via u/TheFilthyDIL
  • 11
    Font - They were in bulkhead seats next to my husband and the dog laid quietly at their feet or sat up and looked out the window for the whole flight. Landings and takeoffs made her a little anxious but people behind her probably didn't even know she was there. No barking, no growling, no attention paid to anyone but her owner.
    via u/TheFilthyDIL
  • 12
    Font - jonathon8903. 3 hr. ago I recently flew beside a blind man who had a service dog that acted in a similar way. For almost the entire four hour flight the dog sat under his seat and
    via u/jonathon8903
  • 13
    Font - didn't cause a single disturbance. Towards the third hour he did stretch out a little into the aisle but who could blame him lol
    via u/jonathon8903
  • 14
    Font - bcece 2 hr. ago Many years ago, I flew across the isle from an actual emotional service animal. This was just before the "anyone can get a letter" craze really started. It was a small dog that fit in a carrier under the seat.
    via u/becece
  • 15
    Font - When the owner took her out and placed her on her chest, the flight attendant told her the dog needed to be stowed. The lady said she was a service animal to help with her anxiety. You could see the FA was weary, but also, as I said, it was early along enough that people still didn't push when told "service animal." The dog never made a sound though was very friendly. She did let my toddler pet
    via u/becece
  • 16
    Font - her once we were in the air, and the dog was back in her carrier with the door open. However, ascending, descending, and after a brief moment of turbulence, that dog was sitting on the owner's chest, helping with anxiety.
    via u/becece
  • 17
    Font - Impressive_Teach9188 · 20 hr. ago Yeah all service dogs are screened for behavior traits before they even begin training. My guess is it was either just a pet or an emotional support animal (which is not a service dog under the ADA)
    via u/Impressive_Tech9188
  • 18
    Font - Dwro1234 15 hr. ago . Yeah, I have an esa as part of ptds treatment. It was suggested by my shrink many years ago. Its a cat, it stays at home. The little pest will yell at me until I sit down whenever my stress and/or pain levels go up.
    via u/Dwro1234
  • 19
    Font - Something about a cat in your lap is strangely calming. But I would never take him anywhere or even demand he'd be tolerated. He isn't trained to assist in public. I despise people that claim esa are service animals. They're the reason esa are so frowned upon or ridiculed.
    via u/Dwro1234
  • 20
    Font - wolfie379 16 hr. ago The behaviours OP mentioned constitute being "disruptive or aggressive", a class of behaviours explicitly listed in the ADA as legitimate reasons to ban a service animal.
    via u/wolfie379
  • 21
    Font - the_fourth_child · 20 hr. ago Encounter a lady at work who insists her 15 year old Jack Russell is her service dog. She says she trained him herself and cites normal dog behaviour as his service skills.
    via u/the_fourth_child

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