Tuesday, July 28, 2015

"Service Bird" Not Allowed in Grocery Store

A woman in Ohio is upset because Kroger won't allow her to take her pet bird into the grocery store

The woman says her bird is a "nationally registered service bird," but there's really no such thing.  She registered him with one of those online registries, that are really just a scam.  They don't mean anything.  You can register any pet you want, or a stuffed animal, or a made up creature like a dinosaur or a unicorn.  All you need is internet access and a credit card.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, only dogs (and in some instances, miniature horses) can be service animals.  Some states do recognize other animals as service animals, but Ohio doesn't.  In fact, Ohio state law only recognizes dogs as service animals.  Miniature horses are still allowed as service animals in the state because federal law says so, but Ohio state law doesn't include anything about service horses.

So the bird is not a service animal.  The bird is a pet.  Maybe the bird is an emotional support animal, I don't know.  But it's not a service animal.

The bird shouldn't be allowed in the grocery store.  It's a violation of local health codes and there is no other law that supersedes those health codes, the way the ADA does in the case of service dogs.

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