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It happened again. Another cab driver this time in Connecticut has refused to drive a man and his seeing eye dog home from the airport. Last time it was the cab drive made the dog drive in the trunk this time it was outright refusal. It wasn’t religious or sanitary reasons that the man and his dog were denied a ride it was because the cab driver has a fear of dogs. The cab driver knows he isn’t allowed to refuse the man and his dog but claims the fear would basically paralyze him while he was driving which could lead to an accident. Then again this could have been the start of the cab drivers recovery and allow him not to fear dogs as much. A seeing eye dog isn’t exactly roaming the streets, isn’t fierce, or starving looking for food. A seeing eye dog is a well trained well behaved dog that while working isn’t even looking for a head rub from a friendly stranger.
In a weird turn of events I am not even sure I understand. The cab driver’s father who also drives a cab who happened to be in the line waiting for a passenger was told to leave the airport line along with his son. When the father called the police he was also arrested along with his son and now his entire family is receiving threatening letters because he refused the seeing eye dog a ride. If he hurt the dog or made it ride in the trunk of the cab like the recent story out of Colorado I could understand getting arrested.
I understand he legally has to take the dog but in this situation was it truly safe for him to take the dog in his cab if he has such a fear of them from being attacked when he was younger? Obviously he should have received some sort of counseling to help him deal with what happened so he wouldn’t be scared of all dogs but he didn’t. If it wasn’t safe for him to take the dog what could he have done if anything to prevent his arrest. Which I really don’t understand at all could this have been a repeat offense. Wouldn’t he have been issued a ticket or some kind of warning and made to pay a fine it doesn’t seem like he was nasty or rude. The man who tried to get a ride home from the airport with him didn’t want to get him in trouble he just wants people to be educated about the importance of service dogs.
My aunt was attacked by a Spitz when she was young. And, 60 years later was still afraid of dogs. She was kind to relatives’ dogs while visiting, and knew they were well-behaved & no threat. Yet she could never have been alone with them, let alone in a small, enclosed space with them because her fear was too great. She visibly shook, & was continuously apprehensive anytime she was near one. So, I can understand his not transporting the dog. But, at an airport, shouldn’t there have been numerous other cabs he couldv’e asked the dispatcher to send to pick this man up? I do seem to remember some rule they have to go in order for pick-ups, but this seems like special circumstances.