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What Should You Do If You Are Discriminated Against Because You Have A Service Dog?

If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your service dog, you will need to present facts in order to file a complaint. You should be able to do that by documenting what happened. Writing everything down will help because you won’t be able to remember all the details when you do get a chance to report the incident.

Your notes are there to bolster your claims and a detailed account could help your case’s progress transpire faster. Here’s what you should write down when you document:

  • The time, date and place when the incident occurred. If possible, include the phone number of the establishment.
  • The name of the person whom you believe discriminated against you. If you don’t have the name, a description of the person’s physical appearance will help.
  • What transpired between you and the person involved. Write down what you said and what you heard the other person say.
  • If the incident was covered in the news, keep newspaper clippings or video copies if it was on television.
  • If you can, also get the names, address and phone number of the witnesses.
  • You should also write down what you felt about being discriminated against.

Filing A Complaint Against Discrimination

The next thing to do is file what you have documented at appropriate agencies such as the district court or your state’s Human Rights Commission. Make sure to check first because some states provide limited protection on service dogs’ cases.

You could also file through the Department of Justice by sending your documentation to the following address:

U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights – NYAVE
Washington, D.C. 20530

Some incidents might require filing within a year of the incident. For more details about this, refer to the Americans With Disability page.

Lastly, you might also want to share the incident on internet sites like Ripoff Report and Trust Pilot.

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About the Author: The writing team at Service Dog Certifications is made up of folks who really know their stuff when it comes to disability laws and assistance animals. Many of our writers and editors have service dogs themselves and share insights from their own experiences. All of us have a passion for disability rights and animals.

28 comments

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  1. Betty Johnson says: February 22, 2024

    My service dog and I were discriminated by Rout 66 Hotel in Albuquerque New Mexico. We made reservations under the name of Kenneth Johnson, we made reservations and at the time when we arrived there Ray at the desk questioned what service my dog provided my husband told them she was an emotional support dog and he told us it wasn’t the same. We have stayed there plenty of times in the past with no problems . According to Ray emotional support dogs are not allowed. We offered documentation and he told us it didn’t matter.

    Reply
    • SDC says: February 23, 2024

      Unfortunately the hotel employee is correct – emotional support animals do not have rights when it comes to hotel rooms. They are only protected in residences under Fair Housing rules. The only assistance animals with access rights to hotels are service dogs.

      Reply
  2. Amber Rychlik says: October 22, 2023

    I was discriminated against just yesterday due to the fact alone of having service animal, furthermore Forced out of the hotel I booked for 2 nights, from 20-22, on the 21st cuz reception seen husband walking our service animal, WHICH IS discrimination at it’s finest, I had documentation to prove he was registered etc they didn’t care. Apparently they think a “no pet”policy applies to service animals, which it does not. Have been on phone since yesterday trying to get something done before I take legal action yet nothing has been done. It’s disgusting and DISPICABLE and that’s why their are laws to protect us to this sort of injustice but everyone fails to realize that fact.

    Reply
  3. Camila Yanez says: July 28, 2022

    My service dog and I were discriminated by Allegiant Airlines yesterday, July 27th at 7pm on a flight from BWI to PGD. My dog is trained and registered to me for a number of reasons. My dog, Jasper has flown with me about 5 times with JetBlue, Frontier, American, Delta and United – no one has ever denied entry. As soon as we walked into the empty BWI airport, the guy behind counter pointed at us and keep saying “No”. I felt very harassed. I said “Excuse me, are you speaking to us?” All he kept saying was “No, that dog is a no”. My service dog did not do anything wrong, he was standing next to me, looking around to learn the environment. I had all the correct paperwork for the airline company, I even called 1 week before to confirmed that everything was approved and set. My boarding pass had service dog assistance requested. This man “Ricardo Agub” denied entry on my dog due to his face, and claims that my service animal should be looking away… He did not show any signs of aggression, he wasn’t not jumping on people. He was being the bestest boy. I’m insulted and very upset, I have photos of this ugly man and I have photos of my dog being next to me.

    Reply
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