A Target shopper claims she was accused of having a fake service animal in the store.
Sam (@samm_inthecity) posted about the incident to her TikTok account, where she wrote in the caption, “SOS send help.”
In the short clip, Sam’s black French bulldog is sitting in the red Target shopping cart. He is wearing a harness that clearly indicates he is a service dog at work.
“I know I’m cute but I’m working,” the message on the harness reads. The message appears to preempt the almost inevitable requests from people to pet Sam’s dog.
The Target shopper also explains the situation in a text overlay that’s written from the perspective of her dog.
It reads, “A lady at Target said I wasn’t a real service dog, so moms over there sorting it out.”
In the caption, Sam writes, “SOS send help.”
Frustration for individuals with disabilities
Sam appears to have turned comments off on this particular post, making it difficult to determine the reactions of her viewers. But the video received over 971,000 views in the four days that it has been on the platform. It also got over 25,000 likes.
@samm_inthecity SOS send help 🚨 #frenchiesoftiktok #frenchbulldog #servicedog #frenchie ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
However, this isn’t the first instance of a person with a service animal being harassed in a place of business. The Daily Dot has reported on numerous individuals who have had this same problem at Target and other businesses.
Like Sam, another Target customer alleged that she was verbally intimidated by a fellow shopper. The woman says that the customer kept asking whether the dog was clean enough to be in the store.
A Macy’s customer also reported that she was not allowed to bring her service dog into the store. As the woman was arguing with the store manager, she apparently had a medical incident and passed out. The worker was subsequently fired.
What are the rights of customers with service animals?
The rules for service animals can be found on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website. It clearly states that these animals are considered working animals since they are trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities.
Workers are only allowed to ask customers with service animals two questions. The first is if the service animal is required because of a disability. The second is what task the animal has been trained to perform. Beyond that, they are not legally allowed to request any further documentation or ask to see the animal perform its task.
Even if someone asks for a service animal’s paperwork, no such official registration exists in the United States. Several private businesses do offer certification for service animals. They provide owners with ID cards or documents stating that the animal does perform a necessary service.
But these have no legal standing with the government, which does not recognize any such certification. In fact, the ADA website says that animals are not even required to wear a vest or go through any kind of specialized training program.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sam via TikTok direct message and to Target via email for further updates.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
