Legally, service animals are allowed in any place that their humans are: stores, restaurants, buses, and, yes, taxis. Yet a Colorado taxi driver has been suspended from work and fined by the state after refusing to let a blind woman bring her dog inside his taxi, claiming allergies. He demanded that the dog ride in the trunk. The woman, late for an appointment, acquiesced… then complained, taking her story to the media to publicize service animals’ rights.

The human-animal team have been together for four years, and it was clear that the dog was not happy with his travel accommodations. He spent the trip whimpering. “I never hear my dog whine or cry. Ever. Ever,” the woman told a reporter from KGMH TV. “I knew it was terribly wrong.”

She now claims that she is afraid to leave the house, but it sounds like a frank discussion with the dispatchers at local taxi companies would allay her fears. An allergy, too, is a disability, but it should be easy enough to keep this particular driver away from customers with pets. In future, the dog should ride where he belongs: sitting politely in the backseat.

Service Dog Forced To Ride In Taxi Trunk [KGMH] (Thanks, Dave!)

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