Close To Home: An All Too Familiar Story

The long reach of the pernicious Human Rights Commissions has extended to the corgis' doorstep. Today's Ottawa Citizen carries the story of a Carleton Place man who is taking a local food store to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal because, he claims, they asked him not to bring his teacup chihuahua into the store. According to Alex Allarie, the complainant, this animal is a service dog for his anxiety and depression.

The former owners of the Granary in Carleton Place, Keith and Leslie Rouble, who have since sold the business in part because of the stress of dealing with the Human Rights Industry machine and Mr. Allarie, recall that the complainant was aggressive, abusive and threatening, to the point that police were called at one point. But that doesn't weigh much against his 'Human Right' to let the chihuahua prowl around a bulk food store.

This case is patently ludicrous. The dog isn't a service animal by any rational or legal test that I can think of. The corgis have even made the point, quite fairly perhaps, that it really shouldn't even be described as a dog, let alone a service dog. The sight of an aggressive, abusive, hulking great guy carrying such a beast is cause for ridicule, not much else.

Mr. Allarie's aggressive behaviour and tenacity in following this up for the last four years are also not the acts of anyone suffering from severe depression and anxiety. If he's capable of pursuing this vendetta he's clearly capable of everyday life, with or without the pathetic prop in question. He may indeed be mentally ill, rather than what my mother would have called a nasty piece of work, but I rather doubt the depression is the issue here.

Once again, the petty bureaucrats of the HRCs pursue the ordinary, hard working small business owner over a trumped up, bogus cause. This is such a gross abuse of real human rights and such an immoral use of government money it's hard to find words. Except these: Fire. Them. All.

Footnote: The tribunal hearing is December 1. If you can find it in your heart or wallet to contribute to the Rouble's legal costs, please click the donate button up top, and mark the donation 'Granary' and I will see the help gets to them.