service dogsIt sounds like a store in Texas just hit the jerk jackpot. The mattress store is accused of kicking a disabled man out for bringing his service dog inside. Oh, and did I mention this was a disabled veteran who was told he had to go?

Adan Gallegos, who served in the US Army in Iraq, is suing Billy Bob's Beds (yes, that's the real name) after he says he and his service dog, Bootz, were given the boot from the store. Gallegos says the dog had his service vest and a leash on.

The lawsuit alleges the store's owner claimed "no one could make him do anything in his own building." It also claims the store's employees followed him out of the store even after he left so they could make fun of Gallegos, telling him to take off his Wounded Warriors garb and "go occupy Wall Street."

Considering Gallegos is suing, it's a lot of he said/he said here, but if even a small part of this true, I'm disgusted.

We are talking about a veteran who sacrificed an enormous amount for our country. Involved in the capture of Saddam Hussein, Gallegos quite literally gave up his health while fighting overseas. Due to his time in combat and an IED explosion, he's 70 percent disabled and suffers from severe PTSD.

In that sense he's like the 20 percent of the 2 million soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and came home with PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. Service dogs have been called upon to help many of them as they try to get by back here at home. These men and women have done so much, they deserve our respect.

Not to mention, the people who have service dogs aren't just bringing an animal into a store for kicks. They're taking advantage of a federally-protected right to have a dog help them complete the basic tasks that a lot of us take for granted. Kicking one of these people out of your store isn't just jerky: it's illegal.

So there you have it ... double whammy of despicable.

What do you think of the allegations here?

 

Image via Beverly & Pack/Flickr