04/29/2026
Today was one of those days I do not usually talk about, but it is worth sharing.
I am a business owner and professional dog trainer living with multiple TBIs and combat-related injuries. While shopping today, my service dog Harley did exactly what she has been trained to do, and because of that, we were asked to leave Walmart.
Harley is my two-year-old Doberman and a professionally task-trained service dog. She has been trained by both myself and through Highland Canine School for Dog Trainers, where I also train. Her work includes mobility support, PTSD and anxiety interruption, and crowd control. One of her trained tasks is to alert me when someone approaches from behind, which can trigger a serious PTSD response. Her alert is intentionally not subtle. She barks and makes physical contact with me to interrupt the trigger and bring me back before things escalate.
Today, a man approached from behind and entered my space without warning. Harley alerted exactly as trained. Her response drew attention, a small crowd formed, and while I was actively regaining control, management approached and asked us to leave because of a barking dog. Per the ADA: “A business may request the removal of a service dog only if the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, if the dog is not housebroken, or if the dog’s presence poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others; service dogs have no breed restrictions.” so they skipped straight to removal.
At no point was I asked whether she was a service dog or whether she was performing a trained task related to a disability. No one checked whether I was experiencing a medical event. Meanwhile, another dog in the store, clearly a pet, was also barking while being carried in a jacket at checkout and was not addressed.
After leaving, I secured Harley safely in my vehicle and returned to speak with management. I thanked them for trying to manage the situation. This post is not about blame. It is about awareness and education.
Service dogs are medical equipment. They are not pets, and not every trained response is quiet or invisible. Some tasks are immediate, physical, and highly visible because they are designed to interrupt and prevent escalation of a medical or psychological event.
For clarity on the law, 28 C.F.R. § 36.104 defines a service animal under the ADA, and 28 C.F.R. § 36.302(c)(6) limits what a business may ask. A business may not ask about the nature or extent of a disability and may not require medical documentation, certification, registration, or service dog paperwork. In Georgia, O.C.G.A. § 30-4-2 protects access rights for individuals with disabilities accompanied by service dogs, and O.C.G.A. § 16-11-107.1 makes fraudulent representation of an animal as a service dog a misdemeanor.
Service dogs are legally protected working animals trained to perform disability-related tasks.
Education matters, for everyone involved. I will offer training to any business, restaurant, or housing complex upon request. I am licensed, insured, certified via International Association of Canine Professionals Highland Canine Training, LLC, PetTech inc, AKC and Im a certified LEO canine Decoy.
