Disabled Vet and his service dog discriminated against

[Shaggyback]

Posted with permission:

Over a month ago, we posted up about this incident. Since that time, nothing has been done by Hyatt to make this situation right:

As many of you may recall, over a month ago, a US Army veteran was illegally discriminated against by a manager at Hyatt Place in Waikiki Beach, HI while trying to check in with his service animal. Here is a brief description of the event:

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"While checking in, this vet was approached by the hotel's General Manager, a man named Imre Gonczy, who asked about the service dog who was standing at the counter with his owner. The service dog was wearing a clearly marked "SERVICE DOG" vest and had it's paperwork with it. (The picture attached is the dog in question.)

The hotel's GM, Gonczy, challenged the service dog's role and asked questions that, by federal law he is not allowed to ask, and then stated, " I can't tell you you can't stay here... but I will tell you I don't like it." From that point, in the vet's own words:

"The GM then proceeded to tell me to avoid all public areas due to my service dog, not to eat at the breakfast buffet, and should I need to walk "that thing", I was told to call ahead to the desk to inform them I was coming down the elevator and then I was expected to walk about 250m east down an alley, cross a major road in Waikiki and walk him on the front lawn of the Honolulu Zoo. Then he informed me they'd also be charging me pet fees because he's not a service animal, he's a service "dog." When I asked him politely "Is this how you treat all combat vets w/ disabilities? You do understand you're violating a handful of laws right now?", he smiled and grabbed my shoulder and said "why don't we discuss this in my office""
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As of today, not one thing has been done about it. The hotel has not issued a formal apology to the veteran or his family. Formal letters have gone unanswered by the Hyatt. Despite the brief lip service given via their Facebook page, they have not tried in any way to make this right.

Please help us DEMAND answers from the Hyatt by posting this to their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/HyattPlaceWaikikiBeach

Please spread this around and share with as many people as possible. Hyatt has made it obvious: without public outcry, they will do nothing.

 

[xdpatriot]

This is bullshit. The GM should be fired. I think the DV should be able to press charges because the man touched him as well. There is absolutely no respect anymore from people in this country. We used to look up to and hold up Vets to be respected, as we should. This is an outrage.

 

[tomcat mv]

Sent on to everyone on my list, which includes many vets. This sucks! I will never stay at a Hyatt again.

 

[timjoebobbradley]

how is the service dog certified?

 

[xdpatriot]

how is the service dog certified?

I'm not sure how they go about it, but my family has a certified service dog. She's a family guard dog and she's certified through the American Mantrailing, Police and Work Dog Association. We carry her certification papers with us if we travel with her. She sat at the bulkhead on her last flight and the pilot just said, 'Good to have a little extra security.' She can go into hotels that don't take pets because of her certification, but we stay at pet friendly hotels if she goes with us. It's just nice to have some extra help if you're somewhere you can't legally carry. Not trying to hijack the thread just giving a little info.

 

[timjoebobbradley]

I'm not sure how they go about it, but my family has a certified service dog. She's a family guard dog and she's certified through the American Mantrailing, Police and Work Dog Association. We carry her certification papers with us if we travel with her. She sat at the bulkhead on her last flight and the pilot just said, 'Good to have a little extra security.' She can go into hotels that don't take pets because of her certification, but we stay at pet friendly hotels if she goes with us. It's just nice to have some extra help if you're somewhere you can't legally carry. Not trying to hijack the thread just giving a little info.

you bring up a different topic than what I was touching on. Your dog doesn't sound like it is certified as a service dog because it is not helping anyone's disability. Maybe there is someone disabled in your family, it just doesn't sound like it from your description.

"A Service Dog is defined in the Americans With Disabilities Act as "any guide dog,
signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the
benefit of an individual with a disability, including but not limited to guiding
individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to
intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a
wheelchair, or fetching dropped items."

There are quite a few people that just hang tags "service dog" on their dogs and say it is for their inability to cope with life or some other vague disability.

I don't know what the vet in this story has for a disability, but they should have described it and the dog should look like a service dog, not a pet with a tag.

 

[Wil]

The dog in question in the OP has been trained as a service dog and 'certified' in accordance with applicable laws. The dog wears a service dog vest with applicable credentials attached and is CLEARLY identified as a service dog. The dog performs multiple functions for the Disabled Veteran (in accordance with the definition provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act), though the exact disabilities will not be named.

To address your concern, timjoebobbradley, the owner did clearly indicate the dog was his service dog. As I stated, the dog wears a vest clearly marked 'service dog', and the dog's credentials are on a pouch in the vest. The dog is calm, obedient, and maintains professionalism even in crowded venues...as a service dog is trained to do.

 

[cmica]

Holy shit... growing up in HI for 25 yrs and the amount of military there this is just unspeakable.

definitely going to spread the word on this

 

[TheGerman]

If I was the vet with the certified/provable service dog, not a single fuck would be given on my behalf to any of their 'rules'. I would walk him when I saw fit, walk him where it was legal, pick up after him, and take him anywhere to do anything that the regulations of having a service dog allow you to take the animal.

Let me emphasize how little of a fuck I would give as long as it was within my rights under whatever disabled vet/service dog regulations govern this.

If/when they had a fit, I'd let them have a fit and call whoever they felt necessary which would probably be the police. Then I'd have my paperwork out when they arrived so that I could have a police report saying what happened to make the lawsuit easier.

Fuck them. Shit like this should not end with just a bullshit corporate apology on paper.

 

[sqidd]

This crap makes me sick.

I'm not one who thinks everything is solved or should be solved by suing, but in this case take them to the mat!

 

[Windrunner 50]

Absolutely unacceptable, that manager needs to publicly apologize, and make it clear ALL service dogs will be welcome. Then demote him to cleaning cages at the local animal shelter.

 

[broylz]

doesn't matter what the service dog is trained to do, it is a trained service animal and its a HIPAA violation to even ask what the disability is. doesn't matter if it is a seeing eye dog or a PTSD companion dog.

my wife has trained service dogs in the past and we have a couple in the house for a couple different reasons. we have travelled with them all over the country by car and airplane. we have had a few people ask but if you explain the rules, they usually follow them, whether they agree with it or not, as they should.