Months after a Montreal man was kicked out of a restaurant because of his service dog, the borough where he lives is taking action to educate businesses about the animals.
Craig Read was denied service at a Tim Hortons restaurant in July because an employee did not believe his dog was an assistance animal.
In a statement, the restaurant chain said "team members are expected to use good judgment when dealing with these situations and always treat guests with dignity and respect."
Tim Hortons has since fired that employee, but borough officials, and Read, would rather people working in the area realize that service dogs are working animals that provide care.
"This is really our way of reaching out to that business community and saying by the way did you know that this is a reality in our community and how can you be more involved in facilitating goods and services in the community," said Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis.
Read has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after he suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2014.
His dog Joey helps keep his anxiety in check.
"He's the reason I fall asleep at night. He's the reason I leave the house… he's the reason why I'm sane," said Read
Meanwhile Read is grateful the borough is taking steps to teach people about non-visible disabilities.
"Would you deny service to a guy walking in with a cane, walker, or wheelchair?" said Read.
The ASISTA foundation which matches people with service dogs said educating the public is important.
"If the disability is visible people are more open to having the service dog whether it has a vest or not in public areas. So I think it's just educating the public and educating the people and businesses of what these dogs do and why they're there," said John Agionicolaitis.
