A staff was fired for disallow service Dog into a Bakery

A student was fired for refusing to let a guide dog into a Dick’s Bakery because she did not believe her owner was blind.
Gabriella Drago, 19, was shocked when she was told loyal pet Freesia was not permitted inside.

Staff member Carol Pearce, 74, refused to
believe Drago was blind even after she was told Freesia was a service dog.

“At first, it was really shocking because that's never really happened to me before,” shocked Gabriella told Fox 8 News.

“I wasn’t sure how to handle it.. There were just a lot of emotions. It was one of those things where I wasn't expecting that to happen.”
Pearce, who has worked at the bakery for 60 years, admitted she didn’t realize Drago was blind and apologized for her mistake.

“I could never hurt anybody like that,” she said.

“All I saw was a big dog and said, ‘That dog can’t come in here because my boss would kill me’, but I didn’t know she was blind.

WJW
Drago and loyal pet Freesia were denied entry to the bakery in Berea, Ohio.
“I just want to tell you I'm so sorry; I'm so sorry. And there's no excuse, but believe me from my heart, I'd do anything if I could make that up to her.”

The owners of the bakery, Rick and Andy Baker, issued an apology on Facebook and said they were “horrified and embarrassed” by the news.

They wrote that Pearce’s employment was “terminated immediately” and added: “We deeply apologize for this very poor judgement. We truly respect all of our customers and assure you this will never happen again."

Drago, a sophomore at Baldwin Wallace College, has urged the bakery to give Pearce a second chance after the misunderstanding.


The co-owners of Dick’s Bakery said Pearce’s actions are not representative of their business.

“We have a track record of understanding people with special needs, and we stand by that,” co-owner Rick Baker said.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, people have the right to bring service animals into public accommodations.