I've been a regular customer at Mittie's for years. It's a favorite lunch spot of mine.
I have a mental illness and got a puppy several months ago; he's being trained as a psychiatric service dog.
My service dog is a 5.6 pound Maltese. I carry him in a tote bag. This works out well, as he can stay next to me for monitoring (him monitoring me to interrupt anxiety attacks.) It also allows him to keep a low profile and do his job. He's not a pet; he's a working animal. The staff at Mittie's knows this because we have had discussions about his abilities, about seizure dogs, and about how cool it is that dogs can help people this way. It's all been positive.
He was with me at Mittie's at least twice before. Last time he barked a few times; we were sitting outside. If his barking had escalated, I simply would have left - I am responsible for the dog's stewardship. With service dogs in training, occasional inappropriate barks are expected.
Yesterday when my friend and I arrived at the restaurant, the owner/manager (at least I think she is, as she's the one in charge) told us that the health inspector was coming, and we couldn't bring my service animal inside. When I said, ""Oh, no - you're fine. We're protected by federal law,"" and presented a laminated copy of of the relevant sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the owner said something about him not being marked. I informed her that legally he doesn't have to be marked and that he was in a special harness.
Then she said he smelled. He was just groomed a week ago. I doubted it, and said ""Really?"" She said, ""Yes, and it changes the taste of the food."" At this point, she is standing in the door of the restaurant.
She asked it if it was okay if she sat us in this little room off the entrance. I was polite and said yes, because it was quieter. By this point, I was livid. If my friend had not had such a longstanding relationship with the restaurant, I would have left.
Once at our table, I realized why we had never been seated in this room before - it was the employee breaks room. That also explained why someone sprawling at one of the tables left when we were seated.
I kept my cool and minded my manners. It's not like our server did anything to incur my wrath. Plus my mama raised me better than that. I wanted to have a nice lunch with my friend. Her mama raised her better than to make a stink, too. I just made a point to savor each bite of my quiche since I'm never going back.
It wasn't until afterward when I allowed myself to review the events that I saw the big picture. I *felt* the big picture as it was happening. I mean, I never even made it within 5 feet of the hostess stand. It was shocking to be greeted like this at the door of one of my favorite lunch places. I mean, didn't we settle this back in the 1960's?
We know that discrimination against people with mental illnesses occurs. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is running the ""Bring Change 2 Mind"" campaign with Glenn Close in an effort to address the stigma. It just never occurred to me that it would cause me to be segregated in a restaurant - and especially not one where they know me.
I'm not launching a boycott or anything. I'm just not going back. And if you can't survive without their scones and creme fraiche, I certainly understand. I just want you to make an informed decision about where you vote with your dollars.
Incidentally, my dog never made a peep. He stayed quietly in his bag by my feet the whole time, just like a service dog is supposed to do.
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