A Sherbrooke resident denounces having been refused entry into four businesses with his assistance dog

Richard Fortier has been living with anxiety for 10 years. It is the presence of his assistance dog Fanny that helps him get through the challenges of everyday life. This Sherbrooke resident is now denouncing the fact that his assistance dog has been denied access to four businesses in the city in recent years. He wants to speak out to raise awareness among the owners of the establishments and defend his rights.

A blind man is his eyes. Well, I need my assistance dog. [c’est] the same casestates Richard Fortier.

Who is she bothering? She is lying on the ground next to me, she is not harming anyone.

Mr. Fortier explains how anxiety is present in his life and how his dog manages to calm it. minutes. “,”text”:”Payments, [je me demande si je vais y] get to the end of the month? All the time, anxiety, that’s it. [J’ai] trouble sleeping. I have [le chien] in the bed, I sleep. Very rarely I laughed, with her, I laughed every two minutes. “}}”>Payments [je me demande si je vais y] get to the end of the month. All the time, anxiety, that’s it. [J’ai] having trouble sleeping. I have [le chien] in the bed, I sleep. [Avant] very rarely, I laughed, with her, I laughed every two minuteshe says.

The day I no longer have my dog, I’m going to have a hard time.

I was withdrawn, I had trouble talking to people and now, it seems to me that it happens automatically. It’s people who approach me at the Carrefour de l’Estrie asking me to pet my doghe continues.

The Sherbrooke resident says he began the process of getting accredited as a service dog when his apartment owner decided to refuse dogs in her home. He was thus able to keep Fanny with him without having to move and at the same time, have access to the various businesses in her presence.

Access denied to Sherbrooke businesses

But Fanny’s presence is not welcome everywhere, he puts forward. Even though he has a prescription from his doctor and an accreditation for his dog, Richard Fortier maintains that he has been refused access to four Sherbrooke businesses in the last three years.

The Sherbrookois describes how it happened in one of these businesses. minutes to look and go online to see what the assistance dog is.”,”text”:”I showed my assistance dog card, he looked up, he didn’t want to see that at all. He didn’t even take two minutes to look and go online to see what the assistance dog is.”}}”>I presented my service dog card, he rolled his eyes, he didn’t want to see that at all. He didn’t even take two minutes to look and go online to see what the service dog is.

I went to the counter, he asked me […] for here or to take away? I said: “it’s for here”. He said: “no with the dog, it’s outside.”

Several complaints per year

About thirty complaints are filed each year by citizens whose assistance dog is refused in a business. For the Human Rights Commission, this is a sign that awareness is still necessary.

The education and cooperation advisor at the Human Rights Commission, Makhram Tahari, assures that at all times, when a person presents himself at a business with a dog identifiable as an assistance dog for a person with a disabilityhe can have access.

[L’identification] includes all kinds of disabilities, whether physical, mental or psychological.

He specifies that a business cannot outright refuse access to the dog, but that a dog and its owner could be asked to leave the premises if, for example, once there the animal behaves badly.

Makhram Tahari points out that there is still no body that certifies dog training establishments in the province. Previously we had Mira, but in recent years there has been an increase in training schools. There is Mira of course, but there is not only Mira. And sometimes the person to whom access is requested may find themselves faced with this confusion, adds the advisor. An official list could eventually see the light of day.

For his part, Richard Fortier intends to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in the hope that Fanny’s presence will not be an obstacle to his daily activities. He intends to fight to the end to assert his rights.