A war veteran says he was harassed and humiliated by an employee of a Houston Starbucks who refused to allow him into the store because of his service dog.
Yancy Baer was visiting the city on behalf of an organization that trains service dogs which are provided to disabled people.
However he found he was a victim of discrimination as a Starbucks worker attempted to force him to prove his disability.
Still adjusting to his life as an amputee, doctors discovered Mr Baer had bone cancer after a non-combat related injury in Iraq in 2009.
His left leg had to be amputated from the knee down and was given a physical service dog, Beanz, through a national organization called Canine Companions for Independence.
However, as soon as he walked through the door of the coffee chain, the trouble started.
A Starbucks employee approached him as he entered with Beanz, his service dog. 'You can't have dogs in here,' the worker yelled at him.
'It was in your face, loud and bold. I got really nervous. I was shaking because I was being confronted,' he said in a posting on Facebook.
Mr Baer explained that Beanz was a service dog. The employee countered, 'you're not blind!' to which he replied 'I know and she isn't a seeing eye dog, she's a physical service dog.'
Beanz had her bright blue service vest and working collar on at the time of the encounter.
'Well what does the dog do?' the staffer demanded to know.
Upon explaining the ways in which his dog performed tasks for him, the war veteran was not prepared for the employees response: 'Why can't you do that yourself?' he was asked.
Mr Baer says he was humiliated and embarrassed in front of a crowd of spectators.
Eventually, he spoke with another employee and got his point across. The employee who stopped him at the door later apologized for what happened.
'I was floored and starting to shake a bit at this point, I'm wearing pants but still, it's none of your business and he had NO right to say that to me,' said Mr Baer.
In a posting on Facebook, Mr Baer's frustration at the situation is clear. 'This whole time the guy is in my face, being loud and I'm trying my hardest not to choke slam his ass.'
'The only thing that prevented this a-hole from a trip to the hospital was the fact that I was with an individual to have an important meeting about... wait for it, SERVICE DOGS!' he writes.
'People with disabilities, you can’t always see those disabilities. You never know what a service dog is for,' said Baer to KHOU.
Mr Baer was wearing pants at the time. He believes the employee wouldn’t have made such a big deal had he been wearing shorts.
He hopes others learn that a person with a service dog doesn’t need to have an obvious or visible disability.
'Be careful about who you approach and how you approach it. You’ve got to be sensitive to people,' said Mr Baer. 'This isn’t acceptable. It can’t be acceptable.'
Starbucks have since apologized. A corporate spokesman says that are using Mr Baer's experience as a coaching tool.
The company have also released a Statement:
'Starbucks always welcomes service animals to our stores, and this customer’s experience is not consistent with the welcoming and friendly environment we strive to create for everyone.
We have spoken with this customer to apologize for his experience, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve him again.
We have also spoken with our store partner about this situation and used this as a coaching opportunity for the future.'
Mr Baer says he holds no hard feelings toward Starbucks as a company but in a posting on Facebook he says he will never step foot in another Starbucks for the rest of his life.
Even I am aware of ADA laws! This is pathetic, employers should include an orientation on what accomodations are allowed by law.
