A Florida woman a grocery store employee refused to check out her groceries because her service dog wasn’t on a leash. She told the employee that her dog’s trained tasks require it to work off leash, an exception specifically recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The confrontation quickly divided viewers, with some defending her rights while others insisted every dog belongs on a leash.
Posted to TikTok by Elyssa Male, who goes by the username @emalemetheslp, the creator claims a store employee told her she would not check out her groceries unless her service dog were leashed. Instead, the employee repeatedly offered to have the creator wait outside while she completed the shopping herself.
Male refused, explaining her dog’s trained tasks require it to remain off leash. She also argued the ADA protects that exception. “You can’t say that you’re not gonna check out my groceries because my dog is not on leash… I’m not gonna leave because I have a right to do my grocery shopping,” she tells the employee.
After a manager joined the conversation, the creator again cited the ADA, saying she had gone to court over similar situations before. On that point, federal ADA guidance supports her argument. Service dogs generally must be harnessed, leashed or tethered in public, but an exception applies when those devices interfere with the dog’s safe and effective performance of its trained tasks or the person’s disability prevents their use. In those situations, the handler must still maintain control through voice commands, signals or another effective method.
The employee eventually acknowledged she may have been mistaken. “I do think I was wrong, and I am sorry,” she says. However, she continued offering to shop on the creator’s behalf instead of letting her shop unassisted.
In the caption, Male says the confrontation lasted about 15 minutes before she eventually walked away.
Viewers Clash Over Florida Woman’s Off-Leash Service Dog
Not everyone believed the employee handled the situation poorly. Some argued the worker was simply trying to balance the rights of everyone inside the store.”What about the shoppers that have a debilitating fear of dogs? When do their rights or disabilities matter?” one commenter asked.
However, ADA guidance states that fear of dogs and allergies generally are not valid reasons for denying access to someone using a service animal. When competing needs exist, businesses are expected to try to accommodate both individuals.
Another took the employee’s side entirely, writing, “Outstanding grocery store employee. We’re so over people bringing dogs everywhere. They abuse the ADA statute because they don’t understand it.“
Others argued every dog, regardless of training, should remain leashed in public.”ALL DOGS SHOULD BE ON A LEASH. Idk why dogs owners have such an issue with keeping there ANIMALS on a leash,” one viewer wrote.
Supporters of the creator pushed back, arguing the employee misunderstood the ADA and wrongly prevented her from shopping.”Making you stand outside and her do your grocery shopping is not an accommodation. That is still discrimination,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “They legally cannot deny you entry to a service animal.”One viewer compared the situation to another medical aid, writing, “‘magine trying to take away someone’s wheelchair cause you don’t like it in the aisle, service dogs are not the same as pets they are legally medical “equipment.”
Viewers may continue arguing over whether every dog they encounter in a grocery store should be leashed, but the ADA already makes an exception for service dogs whose trained work requires otherwise. Whether every detail of Male’s encounter happened exactly as described can’t be determined from one TikTok, but simply seeing a working service dog without a leash doesn’t necessarily mean its handler is breaking the rules.
