Thursday, February 27, 2014

Houston police officer judged veteran with PTSD service dog

Houston police to disabled vet blocked from restaurant: 'You don't need a dog'
Houston Chronicle
By Heather Alexander
February 26, 2014

Less than a year after Gov. Rick Perry's high-profile announcement of a new law protecting people with service dogs from being refused entry into public places, Houston police and businesses seem to be unaware that anything has changed.

For the third time in as many weeks, a disabled veteran has been told he cannot go into a restaurant because he has a dog, with staff in each incident questioning vets about needing a dog without being blind.

In the most recent case, a veteran, who says he served with special forces in Afghanistan, called the Houston Police Department to back him up when staff at Thai Spice Buffet on Voss said he couldn't come in, Tuesday.

Aryeh Ohayon said the officer didn't talk to restaurant staff, a complaint the manager confirmed.

"The officer said to me, you're not blind, you don't need a dog," said Ohayon, who needs his dog, Bandit, for post-traumatic stress disorder. "It's frustrating and a let down. We put our lives on the line, we want to be treated like normal people."
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