I do wish more businesses in our country were dog friendly as there is no reason for them not to be. Dogs do go everywhere in a lot of places in Europe and I think if we start taking our dogs everywhere and doing just what you did by not ginving them our business then businesses will be foced to change these ridiculous policies.
I don't have the problem because all of mine are service dogs and have to be allowed unrestricted access with no charge to any place that is open to the public. I am not blind, but my disability is such that I can use a dog to help me with my normal daily activities such as picking things up, retrieving items, alerting to certain situations and sounds, etc. It is a great law and I would never encourage anyone who did not have a condition which qualifies under the law to do this, but most of us have some malady that our dogs could assist us with and so for them it is the best. They can have their baby with them always.
We have a long way to go to educate the public about the health benefits of dogs, as evidenced by some of the negative feedback I've gotten even here on this forum, but it is a proven fact that dogs reduce stress and can even give people a reason to live. Our legislators recognized this when they enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act and I am trying my best to educate everyone about the law. It helps everyone...the disabled, the dogs and the able-bodied. It harms no one. It's a win win. |