Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
A guide dog handler is reminding Jasperites about how service dog teams have the legal right to access any location where the public is allowed.
Jashandra (Jay) Naidoo, who is blind and works as a registered massage therapist, had two recent incidents where he was denied access to restaurants because of his guide dog.
鈥淭he education in the town is kind of crazy for some of the small businesses,鈥� Naidoo said.
鈥淔or the most part, all the restaurants have been very accommodating, they鈥檝e been excellent, actually, except for two.鈥�
In the first incident, Naidoo was eventually able to get the owner to sit him inside, but in another incident at a different restaurant, he was denied service and left on his own to avoid a scene.
Most of the time, if Naidoo is told no dogs allowed when entering an establishment, he usually shows his Service Dog ID card and the business is understanding.
鈥淲ith these two incidents here, they were like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 care,鈥欌�� he said.
Naidoo explained how he gradually started losing his eyesight ten years ago due to a genetic disorder called retinitis pigmentosa.
His guide dog, Elsa, is an eight-year-old black Labrador retriever and golden retriever cross.
She was trained at Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and has been with Naidoo for five years.
鈥淲hen I first lost my eyesight, I started off slowly, using a mobility cane and figuring things out or whatever, and it was good, it was good, but with Elsa, it鈥檚 like way better,鈥� Naidoo said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 way easier. Once she learns the routes home or the routes in the hotel and stuff, I eventually tell her where to go, she goes. It鈥檚 awesome. It鈥檚 like having a real buddy with you all the time, taking you wherever you need to go.鈥�
Guide dogs and other qualified service dogs have been trained and tested to ensure safety in public.
Under the Alberta Service Dog Act, a qualified service dog team has the right to go anywhere the public may go, including restaurants.
If customers or employees have allergies, a fear of dogs or don鈥檛 want to be near dogs, they can make their fear known and ask the business to make alternate arrangements for them.
Businesses can鈥檛 designate a specific area for individuals with service dogs, such as an outside seating area.
Businesses that discriminate against qualified service dog teams can be fined up to $3,000.
Anyone falsely claiming to be a disabled person to get protection under the act may be subject to a fine of $300.
More information about the Alberta Service Dog Act is available on the province鈥檚 website at
