An Ann Taylor Update

So, when I received the email from Ann Taylor I first thought that there might have been a mistake. Another situation where there was an honest mistake. It wasn't until I read it the second time when I realized that they were talking about Becky and Cricket. It's about that point where I began to rage. So, after being talked out of sending a new email right away I took a deep breath and thought about what I would say. I decided to go the route that there must have been a misunderstanding in my email and explained to them that I knew in this instance the dog was harnessed. I apologized for any ambiguous language in my first message.

I go this message back yesterday after all of the bad press and the retraction had started:

"As a follow up to our previous response, please see the below statement released to the press by

ANN INC. regarding this concern.

“We at Ann Taylor sincerely apologize to [Becky] for her experience at the City Creek store. Service animals are always welcome in our stores and this incident is not representative of how we approach customer service. In our previous statement we had said that her guide dog was unharnessed. This was not the case. We were misinformed and we are sorry that this incorrect information was released. We strive for 100 percent customer satisfaction. In this case we fell short. We are reaching out to [Becky] and her family to make this situation right.”

Again, we appreciate the efforts you have made to share your feedback with us."

While I think it is great that they are at least admitting to their being wrong to release the information that said Cricket was out of harness, I still wonder if they are admitting that because the sales clerk and manager really gave them false information or because they realised that saying that flat out lie wasn't going to roll smoothly with anyone let alone the people who know Becky and know the training of a Guide Dog. I guess this is just my cynical outlook on life. It doesn't rear it's head often, but sometimes I just can't help but think that the world is a horrible place. (Cheerful sentence huh?)

Anyway, the sentence that most intrigued me was, "We are reaching out to [Becky] and her family to make this situation right." Can a situation like this ever be made "right". In my eyes, the damage is done. Like I said in my last post, I'm not telling you to never shop at Ann Taylor again nor am I saying that I will never walk into an Ann Taylor again. But, the damage is definitely done and I'm wondering what they are doing to make it "right."

I don't think this is something that is so simple that just saying, "Hey, sorry our staff wasn't completely trained and threw you out of the store because you're blind and use a dog to get around. And about that whole 'blaming the situation on you' thing. Yeah...sorry about that too." will really fix anything. I guess it would show that they realize that they were in the wrong. But I just don't see a 'sorry' really going all that far.

Again, this might just be my cynical outlook on life coming up at an inopportune moment. But I know that when I'm told I am not welcome in a store with my Guide Dog puppy I to try to avoid it in the future. There is a Target that I have not been into in almost 4 years...of course, that is more because of how rudely Freya and I were treated. There have been other stores where after a few months I walk in with confidence (only if I have to) and I don't tend to have a problem again. It's not because I don't like this stores or don't respect their decision to not allow a service dog in training, it's more because my confidence is shot.

So much to think about in the next few days. I do enjoy a good moral discussion.

Another Ann Taylor Post

Hi People!  I know that this is pretty old news by now, but I wanted to share it so that it got as much circulation as possible.

I think I've mentioned GDB alumni Becky over at the blog Cruisin' with Cricket. But I'll say again that she is the most kind hearted and wonderful person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting...even if it is just over the Internet through our common interest of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Now, there are three posts that I think you all should read if you haven't already. The first one is Disappointed in Ann Taylor. The second one is Sharing. And the third is Finding Lemonade.

For those of you who don't want to go and read them all the short story is that Ann Taylor kicked her out of the store because of Cricket. Obviously, this is not only illegal but is also really hurtful. A bunch of us wrote in to Ann Taylor through their website to voice our concern and hopefully to get them to have more vigorous training when it comes to access rights of service animals. Here is the letter I received back from Ann Taylor.

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us.  We truly love to hear from our clients and appreciate your efforts to email us directly.

Please know that all service animals, including guide dogs, are welcome in all our stores at any time.  The situation you are referring to was a misunderstanding that occurred when a customer entered the store with an unharnessed guide dog.  In accordance with the mall regulations, dogs should be leashed or inside a carrier at all times.  When the customer entered the store with an unharnessed dog, the associate did not realize it was a guide dog, but upon realizing her error, she apologized and told the customer the guide dog could stay in the store.

Again, we appreciate the efforts you have made to share your feedback with us. At Ann Taylor, we want to help women put their best selves forward every day and we will continue to strive to make your shopping experience the best it can be."



 

Now, I have highlighted and bolded the parts of the email that were untrue. Hopefully you were able to see them without this help, but just in case. Apparently, everyone who wrote in got this exact same email.

 

Ann Taylor is now is the middle of a retraction as the PR representative was allegedly told that Cricket was out of harness (a ridiculous claim) and was also told that they were allowed to stay in the store. Of course, if this was the case none of us would have written in. Obviously, this is an example of someone trying to cover their own mistake by blaming someone else. I'm not too sure if Ann Taylor decided to retract this because of all the bad press they were getting or because the store manager really did tell them something wrong in order to cover her own mistake.

 

Now, I'm not upset that this happened. Things like this still do happen, though it does not usually involve a large corporation like Ann Taylor. Smaller organizations, much like the hotel we stayed at in Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival, have not fully read nor fully understand the terms of the ADA regulation involving service dogs. What upsets me is that they tried to make Becky look completely at fault instead of just owning up to their mistake and apologizing. As Becky says, she doesn't plan to sue and that all she wants is to educate. I like to think that I would have the same attitude, but I know when I received that email I raged for a full ten minutes straight before calming down and feeling sad. As always, Becky has made me feel like an inferior human being with her wonderful attitude and sweet nature.

 

Now, for something good that has come of all of this. If you go to the Ann Taylor facebook fan page or their Twitter Page you can see that the public has rallied to support Becky and Cricket. People are saying that they will never shop at Ann Taylor again and that there should be a public apology and all manner of things like that. I know one of things that Becky said was that she felt so alone when she was told that she was not welcome in with Cricket. I'm sort of glad that there is such support from the public. Now, I don't know if Becky will stop shopping at Ann Taylor entirely, but I think that she might not want to go back for a while.

 

I don't shop there often and I'm not telling you that you should never shop there again. While it was handled badly by the PR representative, it was an isolated incident (which is what they should have said to begin with). I've been into Ann Taylor with puppies before and have never had a problem. The point of this post is just to pass it on and hopefully to educate any new readers. ADA regulations state that service animals are legally allowed to accompany their handler anywhere.

 

I also think they has educated me a little. Normally, when asked to leave somewhere I say politely that it is a service dog in training. If still asked to leave I make sure that they are aware of ADA regulations regarding fully trained service dogs and then leave. Once though, when I was having a bad day, my voice did raise a little. I know that in the future I will be able to take a breath and calmly educate the employees. A learning experience for all of us I think. Though it is absolutely horrible that it happened.

Discussion Day 5 (Warning: Lengthy)

First off, before I launch into my opinion on the matter, thank you to everyone who read the discussion and to all of those who contributed comments to it. I enjoyed reading every one's opinions on the subject. It was interesting to see that no one really said that service dogs in training shouldn't be allowed to go to school. I was kind of hoping someone would because I would have loved to have heard a coherent argument against it. The only one I've ever had was not what I would call coherent.

That brings me to start in on my rant. The reason that this subject is near and dear to me is because when I was raising Freya, my school did not allow her to come with me and it almost meant that I had to stop raising entirely. Let me give you a little background first.

Freya was the only puppy that my father raised as well. Rocco and Hilly were in my name only within my household. From the time Freya was nine weeks old to about fourteen months old she went to work with my father. My father is a lecturer at the University in town. My high school campus also happened to be on the University's campus. So, if Freya was acting up and I had a free period I would walk over to his office and take her for walks and things like that. When Freya was about fourteen months old my dad was unable to take her to work anymore. His schedule got far too busy and it wouldn't have been fair to Freya who would have ended up sitting in the kennel in my dad's office for hours on end. So, we figured that since I was a senior that I would be thought responsible enough to take her to school with me and Freya could certainly handle it because she's awesome and that my school would allow this because it was known for being a great school. We were very wrong.

I approached my principal first through email explaining the situation and saying it would only be for three months at the most (I was spot on with her recall date) that this would need to happen. I explained her job and that my father's office was right on campus so during PE and if she was acting up I could put her in there for a while. His answer was a point blank no. Why? Because she was a dog.

So, I set up a meeting with him and my wonderful leader Mary (who as you know helped me continue to raise by co-raising Rocco with me). We sat down and explained that I basically had no where else for her to go during the day. He covered the basic concerns I have. Some kids might have allergies, she'd be too distracting to allow learning to go on, and that he didn't want any trouble with any parents. We explained that I brushed Freya once a day and she was bathed every other week (hey, she was a stinky puppy). And at one point Mary said something like, "Could you look at what she's doing now? This is exactly what she should be doing." I saw the surprise in his face. He had forgotten Freya was even there. Even though she was a model puppy and I pointed out that since everyone of my classmates (no seriously, there were only 71 seniors at the point) knew I was involved with GDB and knew how to behave around Freya so they wouldn't be distracted by her he still said no. By the end the only argument that he had was, "No pets." Yes, I did explain that she wasn't a pet.

Thankfully, my other leader Candie made it to where she could take Freya to work with her (have I mentioned I love my puppy group?). And all 71 of my classmates were disappointed Freya wouldn't be attending school and asked if I wanted them to start a petition.

Anyway, here are my views on the subject.

Yes, a service dog in training should be allowed to go to school as long as the puppy and handler are ready for the responsibility. If there is a student with an allergy then the student with the puppy should sit as far away from them as possible and keep their puppy properly groomed. I also have little sympathy for people who come up to me when I'm in a restaurant or something and tell me that I should leave because they are allergic to dogs. I usually ask them to have a little compassion and realise that my puppy is going to someone who cannot see (which I think trumps getting the sniffles for a while though I never say that out loud). But, as for students, I would try as hard as possible to be as accommodating as I could. As for fear issues, I think all the better for a service dog in training. I think we should educate the public better and make sure that they know that service dogs are NOT aggressive. If they were they would not have made it as service dogs. I've had people refuse to serve/help me because they were scared of my puppy. I don't get mad I just remind them that service dogs are not aggressive in any way and thank them for their time.

As for the puppy being a distraction issue, this is inevitable. Yes, the puppy will do something that will be a little distracting. They'll snore or shuffle or get up or something. They're puppies. This is to be expected and we can't do a darn thing about it. But claiming that they will be too distracting for learning to take place, I think, is underestimating the students just a tad. I also think that there are students in the classroom who are far more distracting than even an eight week old puppy could ever, ever be. Yet, we allow these distractions into our classrooms (I know, I know, law and everything, but it just doesn't seem fair). Perhaps have a dog in the class would teach them a few things about attention spans.

This is why an emergeny button is crucial. If a puppy is going to go to school then I think there needs to be an out. There needs to be a teacher's room with a kennel that the puppy can go to if the teacher doesn't have class or a parent that is willing to pick up the puppy if (s)he gets too upset.

I believe everyone is right when they say that the teacher has a lot to do with the success of the puppy. I remember I brought Zack to school once (don't even get me started on that) and when we were in English class he let out a loud snort. This was right after my teacher had asked a question that had apparently gone over our heads and instead of getting mad or flustered he said, "See? Zack agrees with me!" Crisis averted.

And trial run? Yes, I think if there is no obvious reason to say no (as in my case) but the principle is still unsure I think it would be the open minded thing to do. It would show that you care about your students which I did not feel when my principle just said no. If it doesn't work out then at least it was tried. If it does then you have another great thing to add to your school's reputation.

I also think this. Most high school students are running around and experimenting with drugs and alcohol and other such things. They're having sex for the first time (which I'm not saying I agree or disagree with as I think that's far too hefty a topic for my little blog) and letting their hormones control their bodies (which I will say I tried vehemently not to do as I wanted good grades and that didn't involve spending all of my time thinking about boys). Why would a school do anything but encourage a hobby that pretty much makes it impossible for you to do any of those things? Honestly, my principle almost single handedly ruined my hobby and if he did I don't know what I would have done. Probably become some drug addict sex maniac. Alright...that might be a little extreme, but you guys get what I'm trying to say.

As for the puppy I think that the puppy needs to be at least six months old to handle high school. I will firmly stand by my belief and say it to anyone that I think it is irresponsible to take a puppy younger than six months to high school. Not only because there is no way the puppy is going to be able to settle under six months for school which will not lead to success in anything but because it is a highly stressful environment. At six months they might be ready to handle it, but under that, it is a rare occurrence that there is a puppy who could handle that much stress and not have long lasting effects. Even at six months it should be approved by a higher power (in my case I think a CFR should do it until the puppy is ten months old and after that a leader).

Whether or not the student should be allowed to take the puppy to school full time is between leader, raiser, and puppy. I personally have no strong opinion on it. Obviously if the school allows the puppy then they need to be prepared for full time. But I think it's up to the raiser to tell what they can handle and what they can't from about junior year on. It's something that I'm dealing with and really just forming an opinion on right now. Pretty cool huh? *smile*

So here's how it all looked in my case. A responsible handler and a dog that was more than ready for it as she attended class with my father before. An emergency escape route in the form of a kennel in an office that was a five minute walk away. The entire senior class backing me up. I'm and still convinced to this day that he didn't allow if because he doesn't like dogs.

It turned out that the week before Freya's recall my dad couldn't take her and Candie ended up in a job transition so she couldn't take her and no one in my group could pick her up and drop her off so I ended up having to go to my principle and say basically that it was only one week and I was really out of options. The one teacher that I'm sure is the one reason I had to go through so much trouble was blown away one day when I got up out of my desk after a test and Freya followed me. He said, "I didn't think you had even brought her today." I could only smile and say, "That's what she's suppose to do. She's suppose to become invisible." Score. Freya and Erin - 1: The "Man" - 0

Those are my views and I'm standing by them.

Discussion Day 4

I love watching those posts views rise higher and higher. *smile*

Thanks again for all your great insight! It's wonderful to hear every one's point of view and absorb all of your good ideas. Now, today would have been the day that I told you all my point of view of whether or not Guide Dog Puppies and other service dogs in training should be allowed in school, but a point was raised by one of my...long time readers. Haha! I've always wanted to say that. Seriously though, this point was raised by Cassie who is a long time puppy raiser and group leader. Cassie's puppy, Poppy, graduated with my Freya back in May 2010 and since then she's raised Dagan and Foley and is now on Scooter. (Yes, she has lucked out in the name game of her last puppies). I'm interested to see what you guys think of her question.

Cassie's Question: If a student is allowed to bring a puppy in training to school should they take it to school every day?

I believe this is less about school policy and more about puppy policy, but it's still an interesting question and I shall add my answer to the rest of it when I tell you all my opinion. If any of you still having pressing questions that you would like answered in regards to this topic then please post away and we'll get it answered.

Discussion Day 3

Again people..."WOW!" I look back at the post views and yesterday's again almost got fifty views and the first day of the discussion is up to just under seventy. I'm wondering if any of those views on the first day are repeats, but at this point I don't care! I'm just glad people are interested.

I got some great comments yesterday concerning the issue we covered on our topic. I'm also really appreciative of those of you who don't comment often and took the time to do so. It's so great to know that I do have some readers out there I don't really know about. *big smile* I wish, though, I had made it clear that I am only talking about puppies in training who are absolutely ready to be put into a school environment with a handler who is responsible enough to handle that sort of responsibility. Haha! In GDB's case a puppy should only go to school when approved by a leader and maybe even by the raiser's CFR. But I loved all of those comments talking about all the distracting things our puppies can do. *grin*

I hope we can keeps these great comments going as today is our last day of the discussion. Again, if I don't cover an issue on this topic that you would like covered please just leave a comment telling me and I'll continue the discussion. If no other issue is brought up then tomorrow I'll post my own views on the subject. Now, ready for today's issue?

Day 3 Issue: I've heard of some places that, after considering all of the factors, have said no before trying it out. If all of these things have been considered and the raiser has made a good case for herself or himself do you think that a trial run should be allowed?    

Discussion Day 2

First off, let me say, "WOW!" I was checking the stats for the posts this morning and yesterdays post got almost fifty views (the exact number was fourty-eight, but I'm going to say fifty)! I don't think I've ever gotten more than twenty at one time. This leads me to ask the question; am I normally that boring!? Haha! Just kidding. Really though, please don't answer that.

Anyway, even with all the post views I only received three comments on the subject. They were three very good opinions and comments, but I'm wondering if some of you are not putting up comments because you have an opposing opinion? Like I said yesterday, no one will judge you here. In fact, if you've got an opposing view I would LOVE to hear it.

With all of that said, I think it's time to get onto today's issue of our topic. Just a reminder for those of you who are getting into this discussion a bit late, the issue we are discussing is whether or not service dog puppies in training should be allowed in high school.

Day 2 Issue: I've heard that some people believe that having a Guide Dog Puppy (or any other service dog in training) in the classroom would be far too distracting for actual learning to go on. Would having a service dog in training be a distraction in the classroom?  

Discussion Day 1

Alright, so yesterday I told you guys that I wanted to get a discussion going on the blog. I told you the topic and set out some rules. What got me thinking of this particular topic was this interview. A recap you ask? Why sure! But never say that I didn't give anything to you.

What I would like discussed is the issue of Guide Dog Puppies in Training in High Schools. It's a subject that is near and dear to me personally and I'm just betting that it's a topic that's pretty close to some of you as well. I told you yesterday that I wanted to discuss this topic over three days with each day devoted to a particular issue. If after the three days I haven't discussed something that you think should be covered then by all means post a comment on the post of the third day and I'll extend the discussion. After the discussion is over I will devote a post to my own opinion on the subject, but not before. I don't want my opinion influencing yours in any way.

Also, I would like to let all of you know that I (nor anyone else) will judge you based on your opinion of the subject. It's your opinion and no one should penalize you for having one even if it is different from their own. I'm very interested in this subject and am trying to gather as many different opinions as possible so that I can be as informed as possible. Having said that, if there are any comments that I deem to be offensive towards another follower of mine I will delete the comment and find a way to contact you privately and ask you to be kinder in the future. This is no place to be rude.   

So, are we all ready to begin?

Issue for Day 1: Obviously, allergies and fears should be taken into consideration when a school is deciding whether or not to allow a service dog in training, but I've heard it used as the final decision where otherwise the school would have said "yes". Should other students with allergies or a fear of dogs be the final decision on whether or not to allow a puppy raiser to bring their PIT to school?

Please elaborate on your opinion as long or as short as you want (though I would prefer a lengthy explanation as it's more fun for me).

Hilly's Eval

Yesterday Hilly had her eval with the All Knowing Jim. I'm proud to announce that Jim's exact word was "excellent." That's right! Hilly got an "E" for excellent. He said she was such a nice girl and worked really well in her gentle leader and just on a flat collar. I'm so proud of her! However, he did say that if there wasn't a significant improvement in her dog distractions then...well...you know the rest. The good news on that is that I've already seen such a great improvement in her distraction. I really think she can get over this.

In other news: we were kicked out of a subway last night after seeing a movie. Normally I calmly explain that she's a Guide Dog in Training, but you know that feeling you get when you just know that someone doesn't know about the ADA? Yeah, I got that last night when the employee said, "No dogs ever" even after I explained that she was a service dog in training and then asked if he wouldn't let her in if she were a real service animal. I ask that usually to make the point the service dogs wouldn't know how to behave in public without the exposure they get in the puppy raising home. It generally gets them to see that even though the puppy is in training, they should have the right to be in the store as well and if they misbehave I leave. This time though the response was, "No dogs ever." So...I might have gotten a little too passionate when explaining the ADA regulations about how, legally, service animals are allowed anywhere a person is allowed. I'll freely admit I got hyped up a little. It happens to the best of us I suppose. Still, the only reason I got so hyped up was because he kept looking at me with this blank expression and saying, "I dunno about that." I just wanted to shout at him, "I do! I keep up with the ADA regulations!" But I didn't. After realising that I wasn't making any progress I wouldn't I calmly said, "Check with your manager about it before you guys get stuck with a fine." and left. The thing that bothers me is that his manager didn't prepare his employees for service animals.

Salsa Anyone?

Today is my mother's 50th birthday. So of course Rocco and I are down in LA visiting my mom and step-dad. Well, my mom decided that she wanted to do this Salsa Boot camp for her birthday because the 4 hour lesson is free if your birthday falls on the lesson day. So that's what we did from 9:30 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon (travel time). Of course my first thought was to bring Rocco, but the instructor said they didn't allow dogs. As a puppy raiser I don't run into this too often, but it does happen occasionally. First I make sure they realize that I'm not talking about a pet, but a working dog in training. If they still say "No Dogs." I drop the matter because it's not illegal for them to turn me away. Of course you do run into those people who don't seem to quite get it. There's something in their voice when you can just tell they don't understand the words "working dog" together. My mother is always very quick to set them straight. Normally she asks, "Ok, we won't bring the puppy in training, but what if an actual blind person came in with their Guide Dog?" Just to see what they would say. This guy said, "I would say no dogs allowed." So, we told him that it was very illegal to turn away a disabled person with their working dog and if he wanted to avoid a lawsuit in the future he should look up the "Americans with Disabilities Act." I always try not to be rude when telling a store owner about this rule, but in reality it's for their own good you know? I don't want them to end up with a big lawsuit over their heads. I don't know. Has this ever happened to you guys?

Anyway, you must be wondering what Rocco did for this time. Well, my step-dad watched him for me. He said he was a very good boy. He even took him for a little walk, though he did say he pulled on the leash and picked a few things up off the ground. But those puppies know when they have someone holding onto their leash who isn't as attentive as their normal person. :) They all learn it. Other than that he said that Rocco was a perfect puppy. YAY for Rocco!!!