Belleville, IL. – A Belleville veteran said when he showed up at his regular bar and restaurant he was shown the door. And he believes it was because of the company he came with, his service dog, meant to help him with life after combat. He told Five on Your Side the manager said: “no dogs allowed.”
Kevin Johnson and his service dog, Daisy are inseparable.
“She's been to ballets with me, she's been to baseball games with me, bars, anywhere you can think of,” Johnson explained. Daisy is trained to monitor Kevin’s anxiety, stemming from PTSD.
“To me, she's a piece of medical equipment,” he said. "If I'm having a really bad day or I'm having an anxiety attack, she'll lay on top of me and comfort me."
Johnson served 3 ½ years in the military. He was in the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq from 2005-2007.
"It took me a while to reintegrate myself into what you would call civilian life,” he said. That’s where Daisy has been a huge help in his life. Kevin said he usually has no problem, with the exception of Friday night, at his bar and restaurant where he’s been a customer for nearly a decade. He said the manager stopped him, and Daisy, at the door.
“He said on behalf of the owner, they didn't care if it was a service dog or regular dog of any kind, that they were not allowed in there, and told me I had to go,” said Johnson.
Five on Your Side went over to Big Daddie’s 618 and sat down with its owner, Scott Schmelzel.
"We have no problem with a service animal, probably a very loving animal that's been very well trained,” Schmelzel said. But, he said that, back in March, he had asked Johnson to take a break from coming by the establishment.
“This is not an issue of ADA or service animals, this is an issue with customers, that has not been a good customer in an establishment, who has to make good business decisions for its staff and patrons,” he said.
But, Johnson said he was never asked to leave the bar before and feels as though Friday’s dismissal had everything to do with Daisy.
"For lack of a better work, it really upset me,” he said. "The hope is that this doesn't happen twice."
