Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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A refresher on United States service animal laws (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by WatchHoopa
I just had someone come in with dog claiming it was a service dog. It was very obviously not trained at all and we required them to leave. I wanted to remind everyone of both the law and starbucks policy regarding service animals.
Store policy (and likely your local health code) states that only service animals are allowed in the store.
The only animals allowed to be service animals are dogs and miniature horses. No cats, pigs, birds ect. Immediately ask them to leave if they bring one in.
While some breeds of dog are better equipped to be service animals, any can be trained. Do not assume a dog is not a service animal just because of its breed.
If someone enters the store, there are two questions you are allowed to ask.
1. Is this a service animal? If no, they have to leave. If they show a certification, do not take that as proof. Anyone can certify their animal as a service animal online regardless of if they're trained or not.
2. What tasks does this dog do? If they say emotional support they must leave as emotional support animals are not the same as service animals and do not have public access. If they say ptsd/seizure alert, allergen detection, mobility, or any other medical support task welcome them in.
If a dog you have properly identified as a service animal starts misbehaving, such as barking when not alerting, trying to steal food, running around, or peeing, you are well within your rights to ask them to leave. Service dogs no longer have public access rights when they are a health hazard or a disturbance.
These rules protect our customers and real service animals. It's important that these rules are enforced at every store and I ask that everyone do their best to follow them. Thank you!!
Store policy (and likely your local health code) states that only service animals are allowed in the store.
The only animals allowed to be service animals are dogs and miniature horses. No cats, pigs, birds ect. Immediately ask them to leave if they bring one in.
While some breeds of dog are better equipped to be service animals, any can be trained. Do not assume a dog is not a service animal just because of its breed.
If someone enters the store, there are two questions you are allowed to ask.
1. Is this a service animal? If no, they have to leave. If they show a certification, do not take that as proof. Anyone can certify their animal as a service animal online regardless of if they're trained or not.
2. What tasks does this dog do? If they say emotional support they must leave as emotional support animals are not the same as service animals and do not have public access. If they say ptsd/seizure alert, allergen detection, mobility, or any other medical support task welcome them in.
If a dog you have properly identified as a service animal starts misbehaving, such as barking when not alerting, trying to steal food, running around, or peeing, you are well within your rights to ask them to leave. Service dogs no longer have public access rights when they are a health hazard or a disturbance.
These rules protect our customers and real service animals. It's important that these rules are enforced at every store and I ask that everyone do their best to follow them. Thank you!!
Ristrettooo 62 points 7m ago
The ADA allows you to ask what tasks the service animal is trained to do, but Starbucks policy only allows you to ask if the animal is a service animal. You can search “service animal standard” on partner hub. (You can and should make a customer take the animal outside if it’s being disruptive or if it’s the wrong species to be a service animal.)
SelocAvrap 8 points 7m ago
The part about being disruptive also applies if it's a service animal. If the animal is behaving poorly, they can leave
clouds183 21 points 7m ago
sbux doesn’t allow us to ask the second question though but all else yes
ladysingtheblues 12 points 7m ago
Damn I wish someone would come in with a miniature horse
Responsible_Snow7109 7 points 7m ago
This lady one time came in to pick up a mobile order. She didnt walk. She drove with her dog. Anyway her and her really large dog came in. I was busy on bar at first so i didnt notice the dog but i talked to one of my coworkers about it afterwards who saw her coming up with the dog. But so im making drinks on bar. This lady is grabbing her drinks n food at the hand off area. Then all of a sudden, her BIG dog jumps and puts his 2 front paws on the counter at the hand off plane where he could have knocked a drink over or swiped at a food on the counter and not to mention the dirt and bacteria and whatever else he has stepped on under his paws and now touched to the hand off counter. She left right after that cuz at that point, she had already gathered all her stuff. But i dont kno why she had to bring the really big dog in there for 2 seconds. Had to sanitize and wipe down the hand off counter.....where peoples foods and drinks go
testingaurora 5 points 7m ago
What kind of proof is accepted if not a certificate? And I thought it was illegal to ask ? May we have the sources so we can back it up when customers challenge?
RosieHarlan 22 points 7m ago
You can ask if it’s a service animal but you can’t ask for proof. So the whole thing about the certificate is pointless and doesn’t matter as long as the owner says yes and the animal isn’t disruptive to customers or business
WatchHoopa [OP] 6 points 7m ago
The only proof they have is their word. If the dog is disruptive you can just kick them out. It's illegal to ask why they have the dog but asking what tasks the dog is trained for is legally acceptable. $1 is a great resource to study and use as proof.
testingaurora 2 points 7m ago
I will check it out, thank you!! Good psa too.
Hot-Independence8670 5 points 7m ago
honestly i feel like if they lie it would be pretty easy to tell, service dogs are extremely well trained
testingaurora 1 points 7m ago
Yeah easy to tell either way but if the customer doubles down and has a conniption, not as easy to enforce.
itsyaboimikey_ 4 points 7m ago
In the United States there is NO valid certificate that says your animal is a service animal, so if they pull up paperwork chances are its fake. You’re also not allowed to accept paperwork as “proof”
Ok_Visit_1968 1 points 7m ago
Hallelujahs
kmoonster 1 points 7m ago
To add, YOU CAN NOT ASK FOR PROOF. If 'proof' is offered, it must be voluntary on the part of the person handling the animal and may or may not be legitimate and it carries no legal weight.
Hopefully we'll have a point soon where someone with a legitimately prescribed/assigned service animal can have something legally managed (like a prescription card) but at the moment there are no official/recognized identifiers for use in these sort of situations. A letter of recommendation from your neighbor's uncle who happens to have five classes toward a psychology degree they never finished carries the same legal weight as the medical/doctor forms connecting a blind person to the service dog training agency that trained and assigned their current working dog.
Hopefully we'll have a point soon where someone with a legitimately prescribed/assigned service animal can have something legally managed (like a prescription card) but at the moment there are no official/recognized identifiers for use in these sort of situations. A letter of recommendation from your neighbor's uncle who happens to have five classes toward a psychology degree they never finished carries the same legal weight as the medical/doctor forms connecting a blind person to the service dog training agency that trained and assigned their current working dog.
trousersquid 0 points 7m ago
We're in Arizona, not sure what the laws are here but given how hot it gets, most places will allow animals inside because it's dangerous to leave them in the car or outside for any length of time in the summer. This is more of a local thing, and luckily none of our customers have tried to abuse our flexibility even in the cooler months.
Comfortable-Plane944 -4 points 7m ago
You care wayyy too much about a job that could replace you in a heartbeat. Who gives a fuck if someone has their animal with them
WatchHoopa [OP] 10 points 7m ago
People with severe allergies, people with real service animals who could get injured by ill-behaved dogs, and people who actually care about keeping everything food safe. This has nothing to do with starbucks as a company. These rules would still apply if i was working at McDonald's or Dunkin. I don't give a single fuck about corporate but I do care about the health and safety of ourselves and customers.
Comfortable-Plane944 -9 points 7m ago
Those are risks that occur in the world everyday regardless. And unless dogs are coming behind the bar how is good safety being compromised?
WatchHoopa [OP] 6 points 7m ago
People eat food in the cafe and lobby. Dog hair and dander is also airborne.
Comfortable-Plane944 -5 points 7m ago
Again, like everywhere else. It’s not like there is an excess of people bringing their pets in all the time . I’ve been with the bux for over two years and have seen that happen exactly one time
Alternative-Put4708 -4 points 7m ago
People also come in with a jacket that’s practically made of cat hair and take it off and cat hair goes everywhere. Like the other person said, it’s everywhere. You’ll survive
neighborrcat -3 points 7m ago
there are several food establishments where dogs are allowed and everything is kept food safe. incidents happen just like anywhere else. not saying people should bring their dogs in, but my manager doesn’t mind so not my job to tell them to leave. if someone told me they have an allergy or the dog caused issues, of course they’d be asked to leave.
WatchHoopa [OP] 0 points 7m ago
Again, this is not a matter of policy. In the United States, it is illegal to allow non-service animals into establishments that serve food. It's a matter of safety and accessibility.
Comfortable-Plane944 1 points 7m ago
That is not true. Just google it there are 16 states that allow pets in dining establishments. Also be careful about arguing what’s legal across the entire nation vs state, a lot of times these type of issues vary by state
badbaristuh 0 points 7m ago
I have literally been attacked by animals and had animals run off leash into the back room on the job. This is about employee safety just as much as it is about customer safety or following standards or anything else. I give a fuck if someone brings their *explicitly* disallowed pet in.
neighborrcat 0 points 7m ago
i’ve literally been attacked on the job by a person yet those are our customers. i’ve literally had allergic reactions to smoke from people smoking in the drive thru. there are several establishments that allow pets that aren’t service animals. if there’s a problem, they’re asked to leave. any of the dogs that have come into my store are typically smaller and held and in and out. it’s not like we’re hosting a zoo. partners come in with dog fur and dander on their clothes. hot take but whatever
edit: i can’t spell
another edit: i understand it’s literally illegal
edit: i can’t spell
another edit: i understand it’s literally illegal
badbaristuh 0 points 7m ago
are you a shift? if so, do you care about having a safe store environment? genuine question. no one is paying you to answer this a certain way, I’m truly curious.
btw, the dog I was attacked by was regularly held and a small dog. the second the owner set him down, he rushed me behind the bar and chomped my ankle, as I was working to make this customer’s drink. you cannot predict an animal’s behavior just because you think that it’s cute.
btw, the dog I was attacked by was regularly held and a small dog. the second the owner set him down, he rushed me behind the bar and chomped my ankle, as I was working to make this customer’s drink. you cannot predict an animal’s behavior just because you think that it’s cute.
[deleted] -14 points 7m ago
[deleted]
WatchHoopa [OP] 18 points 7m ago
You're breaking policy and health codes. In addition, a reactive dog can injure a customer or service animal. I love dogs, but pets do not belong in any food establishment.
Comfortable-Plane944 0 points 7m ago
Again, animal policies vary by state. So it’s a pretty large claim to say they are violating health codes. Animal law.info provides some information
[deleted] -2 points 7m ago
[deleted]
neighborrcat 1 points 7m ago
people are so mad and jealous. clearly you or a manager would address this if it became an issue.
[deleted] 2 points 7m ago
[deleted]
neighborrcat -2 points 7m ago
yeah i get it’s like *illegal* but some laws are worth breaking
badbaristuh 2 points 7m ago
one incident of a non-SD distracting a service animal and causing an incident is one far too many. is the potential of a customer seizing in your lobby not worth forfeiting the joy of seeing someone’s pet? just curious.
Comfortable-Plane944 0 points 7m ago
I don’t understand why you are getting down voted so much 🙄
ladysingtheblues 0 points 7m ago
Made me picture a dog walking in to grab their mobile order pup cup
Electrical_Metal_106 -2 points 7m ago
Same. I’m in a state and county where it is very normal to take your dog everywhere with you. I see dogs in all the restaurants and stores around here. It seems like a normal thing. Most of these dogs are small and usually held or in a bag and very well behaved. If there is a misbehaving dog, then we would address it but I haven’t had this issue. It makes sense to me that you wouldn’t leave your dog in the car or tied up outside. That’s animal cruelty. I love having so many dogs around.
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