According to a disabled Army vet, a Texas Starbucks denied him entry into the coffee establishment because he was accompanied by his service dog “Verbena.”
Yancy Baer traveled to Houston from San Antonio on behalf of the national organization Canine Companions for Independence, which helped pair Baer with service dog Verbena after Baer’s left leg was amputated from the knee down due to bone cancer, KHOU reported.
Baer explains that he tried to go to a Starbucks on Memorial Drive when he was stopped.
“A gentleman from Starbucks meets me at the door and says I can’t have her [Verbena] in the store,” Baer told KHOU.
Baer said he explained that Verbena is his physical service dog.
“He stated, ‘you’re not blind’,” recalled Baer. “It was in your face, loud and bold. I got really nervous. I was shaking because I was being confronted.”
The Starbucks employee confronted him in front of other customers, Baer said. “I explained what all she does, and his next comment was, ‘Why can’t you do that yourself,'” said Baer. The Vet was able to speak to another employee who listened to his explanation. The first employee later apologized, according to the station.
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