DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU HAVE A SERVICE DOG.

I had my service dog with me, who is trained to perform medical alert and response tasks as well as light mobility support. Upon entering, I was asked for certification. I explained that there is no state or federal registry with legal standing; all those that claim to provide "certification" are fraudulent. While the employee left to get a manager, I googled Utah state law in case there was something I wasn't aware of, as I'm from out of state. The Americans with Disabilities Act as well as Utah state law states that a service dog does not need to be "certified." I also provided answers to the two questions a business is allowed to ask under the ADA (is your dog a service dog, and what tasks is he trained to perform) in the form of, "yes, he's a service dog, and he's trained for medical alert and response and light mobility support." I also asked what type of certification they were looking for, and the manager I spoke to could not provide an answer.

After my explanation, I was informed that despite all that, it was "the business's decision whether or not to allow a service dog," and was told that I would not be seated. Despite the blatant illegality of that statement- a business does still have to abide by the law- I left because my service dog had started alerting.

I understand that there can be confusion around service dog registration, as a lot of fraudulent registries promote themselves as having some sort of legal standing. However, I would have hoped that a business would educate itself on its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and state law. I hope that this review will serve as a reminder to do so. Being illegally denied access for disability-related reasons is a humiliating experience, and I would not wish that on anyone.