Saturday, June 12, 2010

NO DOGS ALLOWED! SAY'S SO!

  I had the pleasure of meeting Claire Crowell yesterday because of a front page story I read in The Enterprise. Claire has a companion called Vixen her seeing eye dog. Claire and Vixen were denied access to a local restaurant in town due to the negligence of a ignorant worker. On Wednesday Claire and a friend along with Vixen decided to eat at the Chinatown restaurant after shopping. Dominic So a worker/manager said that "He cannot allow her dog in the restaurant  its against the board of health rules."according to Claire. They tried to explain to him that Federal law states that a companion dog is allowed in because that is her right according to the Americans with disabilities Act.

 Dominic So would not listen and according to Claire even threaten to call police if she did not leave. Claire said her friend told her this after they left and did not want to tell her because she could see how upset Claire  was. "I would of stayed their until the police came if I heard him say that." Claire said. Claire's husband even went to the restaurant to explain to him the law and even had the law on him to show him but Dominic didn't want to hear about it. Claire called the Brockton board of health and the Brockton Enterprise that day.

   After reading this story on Friday morning I called the restaurant and spoke with one of the co-owners Joyce Hayes and she was very apologetic and said "She just learned of the incident that same morning and was going to suspend the worker for one week and was going over to Claire's house to apologize." I was able to make it over to Claire's house just in time to meet Amy Littlefield from the Brockton Enterprise and also Channel Five for me to video Claire's story and also to hear about the apology from the Co-owner of the Chinatown restaurant.  Watch NO DOGS ALLOWED! SAY'S SO!