OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Seven-year Marine Corps veteran Kevin Doncaster says his 6-year-old service dog, Lacie, helps him cope with PTSD.
“She keeps me in check when my mind is going to bad places, and that’s a great value to me,” Doncaster said. “In addition to that, when I’m getting anxious or having anxiety because people are crowding me, she will move to block people and create a safe space for me.”
The Council Bluffs resident runs the nonprofit Warhawk PTSD Service Dogs, helping connect other vets with these skilled canines.
However, he said he doesn’t want former servicemen to experience what he did last Friday. He said he and Lacie went to the Salty Dog Bar and Grill, where they didn’t get a warm welcome.
“I walked in and I was immediately told that I needed to leave, that they don’t allow dogs,” he said. “I asked the question, ‘Do you allow service dogs?’ and I pointed to Lacie’s vest. And the insinuation was that she’s not a real service dog, that everybody claims they have a service dog.”
His story got a lot of attention after he posted it on social media.
The Salty Dog’s owner posted to Facebook Wednesday, saying the situation was not handled well, and that he has since apologized to Doncaster.
“He’s been very gracious, and that’s another reason why I’m not looking to harm anybody,” Doncaster said. “But education is key.
“If it wasn’t a professionally trained dog, I get that. So I side with the restaurant owners on that side. But sometimes, we’ve just got to have a little bit of empathy, a little bit of wisdom, and a little bit more understanding.”
He said the issue has also drawn negative attention, both to himself and the restaurant.
“I just don’t appreciate the negative stuff that’s been coming out or name calling or hate speech. The whole reason why I’m in this situation to begin with is because of the hate speech. Let’s not retaliate with that in kind. Let’s just be better than that.”
He only wants this to be a learning experience so that other veterans don’t go through the same thing.
Doncaster is having a concert benefit for his service dog group at Benson Theatre Thursday night. If you would like more information about that, click here.
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