That may be illegal due to various anti-discrimination laws:
> But Free and other riders were baffled over proposed legislation that would lower mandatory penalties for taxi drivers who refuse to pick up certain passengers, or turn down requests to take passengers to a specific destination.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-cabbies-fines-...
Immediately the other person ran to the opposite corner and asked the person with the dog to wait outside the restaurant because they had been a victim of a pitbull attack. And, of course, the person with the dog pulled the service dog card.
At this point, the business owner can do nothing. Once someone says a dog is a service dog, no one can ask them to leave until after the dog causes damage, per the ADA.
The person in the restaurant with the dog immediately claimed they forgot the vest that says their dog is a service animal. This tells me the dog was definitely not a service animal, because anyone who actually needs one knows that no proof is required.
Anyway, my point is the laws in the US right now let any dog owner walk around with impunity and impose dogs on people who do not want to be around dogs. Which means I have to modify my behavior with my toddlers and leave places where any random person can bring a Rottweiler or pitbull.
Edit: In the dog situation, you can even go further and see that NY state just forced owners of less dangerous and aggressive breeds to subsidize owners of more dangerous and aggressive breeds. Why would the government need to get involved in subsidizing risks of various dog breeds?
https://www.syracuse.com/state/2022/01/new-ny-state-law-bans...
Some animals really aren't suitable as pets for the vast majority of owners - which might be a more fruitful discussion than objecting to service animals too quickly.
There are already laws that ban dogs from restaurants and grocery stores. But there is a higher law that says if you say the words service dog, then no one can say anything to you and you do not have to prove anything, rendering the laws banning dogs from restaurants and grocery stores useless.
Doesn't stop certain obnoxious owners from taking their animals where they really ought not, etc.
The problem isn't service dogs, but fraudulent service dogs claims. And often health departments hold business owners liable for these fake claims (fine the owners because they should have known that the pit bull wasn't a service dog because they lacked a harness), which is doubly ridiculous if you aren't allowed to challenge someone's service dog claim (which actually isn't true, I think, there isn't a law on the book that businesses cannot verify service dogs, its just culture that pushes them to trust).
> Q7. What questions can a covered entity's employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal?
>A. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability.
> Q8. Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals?
>A. No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.