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Published on 12/11/1995 All articles from this issue

Starbucks insists it doesn't turn blind eye to guide dogs

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

The assistant manager at Starbucks was right.

But some customers didn't think so and called the police.

On a recent Monday morning the coffee mavens sipping Sulawesi dark roast in the Los Altos Starbucks saw the assistant manager decline service to a woman and her seeing-eye dog. That prompted a few protests.

"The gal brought in the dog," Starbucks' manager Dawn Smith said, but it wasn't her dog.

"It was her son's dog, and she's not handicapped. We did offer to bring her coffee outside, and it was on the house."

No blind person, or anyone with a disability, may be denied service because of their guide dog. California state law is very clear about that, said Los Altos Police officer Noreen Sorg.

But the dog must be accompanied by the disabled person or by a trainer, said Trevor Hayes, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Health for Santa Clara County. "No live animal, bird or fowl shall be kept or allowed in any food facility," he said.

T. J. Miller, a 15-year Los Altos resident who is blind, talked about seeing-eye dogs. "That's a no-no to let anyone else use the animal," he said. Miller lost his sight to macular degeneration 12 years ago.

"If the person isn't being guided, they are not supposed to let anyone else use the animal," Miller said as he was led by his dog Porsche down Main Street in Los Altos. "It's confusing to the dog. The Guide Dogs for the Blind are very emphatic about that."

Many customers bring their dogs to Starbucks at Main and State streets. In fact, "this is the dog corner," said Deb Burch as she sat in the sun in front of the coffeehouse with her dogs Crystal and Pause.

And that is sometimes hard for the employees of Starbucks.

"We do have a lot of people who say everything in the world to bring their pets into the store," Smith said. "One time someone wanted to bring in a bird. And they are very unhealthy ... We'd get fined very heavily if we let dogs in."

Burch and her friend Lisa Powell don't mind keeping their dogs outside.

Powell, a 34-year resident of Los Altos, said she's "been here since you could ride a horse downtown and tie it at Dairy Belle."

Powell and Burch said they put their dogs into "down, stay" commands, and the pets wait in front of Starbucks while the women go inside for their coffee.

Powell's golden retriever, Tonto, is a licensed therapy dog who visits in nursing homes and is also a licensed Hug-a-Pet with the Humane Society.

They said they've seen people try to bring their little pets into Starbucks.

The staff at Starbucks works at being helpful to their customers.

Smith said, "We bend over backwards to accommodate people."