Posted on 06/28/2012 4:26:37 AM PDT by servo1969
MILLVILLE, N.J. (CBS) - Thirty-three-year old Patrick Stark goes everywhere with his medical dog, Copenhagen.
“Rarely do I get emotional at all, but this was a really sad experience for me,” Stark said outside his Vine Street home in Millville Tuesday.
The military veteran has suffered seizures since sustaining a brain injury when he was mugged three years ago in Seattle, Washington, where he just moved from a few months ago.
He’s had Copenhagen every since. The dog alerts him when the seizures are coming, enabling him to avoid them, which has saved his life.
“At this point, I have so much confidence in him. I would find it impossible to get along without him.”
Two weeks ago, Stark was in the Main Street Wawa around the corner from his home. He says the employees in the store started questioning him about the dog. They didn’t think Copenhagen was leashed properly, and weren’t sure he was a service dog.
“They were saying there’s nothing wrong with you. He’s not a seeing eye dog. Really ignorant things.”
Stark says he’s been in the store numerous times before, and had made them aware of his disability, but he didn’t recognize any of the employees working that night.
“I tried to reassure them it was service dog and the customers joined in with the yelling. Then I asked who was in charge and I would show them all the paper work she would want.”
Stark says he showed the manager his papers but still, he was asked to leave and the police were called.
In a statement Wawa says, “We apologize for any inconvenience or issues we caused Mr. Stark. Qualified service dogs are permitted in all Wawa stores. Because we are a food establishment we have to comply with strict Board of Health regulations which do not permit pets in our stores, but of course qualified service animals are permitted and welcome.”
Stark does not feel he was offered a real apology and says not only will he not be back, but he’s now considering legal action.
Wawa says they are reemphasizing protocol related to service animals with the team at the Millville store.
Good for you!
My references were to the staff not the owners. Maybe you are right about the pace and pay getting a better worker.
Wawa still sounds like a pimped up automat, not having ever seen one.
They do have the training for service animals.
If you read post #11 the Federal guidelines are so lax that anybody can walk in with a dog on a leash and call it a service animal. If the employee questions it they end up with this crap.
It is so good to be able to slam people who work hard for a living who must abide by vague laws deliberately written that way by politicians/lawyers who salivate over the chance to milk money from companies trying to operate and provide a service to people.
I think you may be confusing the word racist with the word resentful. I resent being called a racist by someone when my GG-Grandpa left his family in Virginia to fight for the Union. Wonder if he enjoyed what he saw at little round top?
Oh. I probably wouldn't have thought of it, even though I saw the PBS show about how women prison inmates train service dogs to react to seizures and so on.
Of course, then there was the college student who insisted she had to keep her ferret in her dorm room and take it to class because it treated her "anxiety" ...
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