Assignment: Vets, Two Dogs, and a Deadlock
When a roadside explosion in Afghanistan blew up his Humvee, Russ Murray sustained brain and back injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder that made it very difficult to leave his home in Watkinsville, Georgia Getting Ellie, his service dog, made it possible for him to leave the house, and the two are now inseparable.' However, when he visited Clyde's Armory Gun Shop in a nearby town, he was told that Ellie could not come in the store because she was disturbing the owner's security dog, Kit. Kit is a Doberman pinscher who roams freely from the store to the warehouse and is there to provide security. "I want this to be a safe environment; says Clyde, a veteran who served three combat tours in Iraq.2 "[Kit) doesn't interact well with other dogs and I cannot have a dog fight in my store." Clyde maintained that he had a right not to allow Russ in with his dog because the store is private property and so, as the owner, he has a right to decide who can enter.
Russ received his service dog from the Dog Tag program of Puppies Behind Bars, an organization that trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for disabled Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans? Ellie, a black lab, is able to respond to about 80 commands-she can pick up items, help with laundry, and call 911. According to Gloria Stoga, president of Puppies Behind Bars, the organization has placed about 54 dogs with wounded veterans. She notes that the dogs they place are 'fully trained service dogs?' Russ said he intended to file a complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) adding, "I don't want this to happen to anyone else:
Clyde asked Russ to leave the store, and when he refused, two employees escorted him out. Russ then called the police and an officer was dispatched to the scene. In the officer's presence. Clyde told Russ he was barred from the store for two years.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. With whom do you agree in this dispute? Should Russ have honored Clyde's request to leave or should Clyde have allowed Russ and Ellie into his store?
2. Who are the stakeholders and what are the stakes?
3. What ethical principles apply to this situation?
4. Before doing any more research on service dogs and the ADA, think about what happened. Who is in the right? Is this a violation of the ADA or does the store owner have rights that outweigh ADA concerns?
5. Was a reasonable accommodation attempted? Did the potential accommodation involve undue hardship?
6. Now look up the ADA policy on service animals.' Considering this, who is in the right in the above scenario? Does your answer change from the one you gave in Question e1 or 4?