Cop Reunites Dog With Owner, Restaurant Manager Refuses Service To Blind Patron And Dog

In the latest dog news, one police officer’s selfless act resulted in a touching reunion. Another story is about a blind woman shunned by a restaurant due to her dog’s presence, according to Times Union.

Recently, a police officer named Sergeant Jonathan Whaley performed an act of heroism when he helped reunite a lost animal with its owner. The Alabama officer drove Kai, the lost animal, 770 miles to reunite the pooch with its family, according to an NWA News report.

The dog’s owner, McKenzie Catron, 19, was killed in a tragic accident, and Sgt. Whaley was the first to arrive at the scene of the crash. The officer learned that a dog was involved in the ordeal. He rescued the animal before bringing him home, as he told reporters.

“We felt we needed to find the dog. We were going to do whatever we needed to do to reunite this dog with this family.”

Meanwhile, the Carton family lawyer, Benjamin Irwin, was attempting to find the dog by a different means. The attorney offered a $1,000 reward for the safe return of Kai. “I just know if I were them, I would want the last tangible thing of someone I loved,” Irwin said of the lost dog.

McKenzie Catron family awards NHS student, Elizabeth Smith, scholarship in memory of their daughter pic.twitter.com/LPxaGDK171

— Teresa Davis (@davis_tedavis) May 10, 2016

Nevertheless, it would not be long until the police officers contacted the Carton family and informed them that they had the dog in their possession. However, the journey would require a trip that spanned several hundred miles.

Whaley did not want the family to travel such a great distance, so he drove the dog the entire way. Surprisingly, getting the dog back home was a lot harder than Whaley thought; he was larger than anyone anticipated.

In fact, it took eight people to do the task. Despite the difficulties, the officers involved knew that the Catron family was grieving. As a gesture of good will, he did everything they could to get her into the car.

Sources say the reward money has been donated to the animal rescue shelter. At the end of this near-perfect ending, things worked out well for all involved.

Recently, Mary Beth Metzger tried to get a table at the Hana Japanese Steak House. Surprisingly, Lui Cheng, the restaurant manager, refused to give her a dining seat.

Despite the initial rejection, the manager eventually gave Mary a very remote table, albeit far away from anyone else. He was reluctant to offer his reasons for initially rejecting the diner’s request for a table. Later, he offered an explanation.

Apparently, the decision was based on Metzger’s four-legged companion, a certified service dog. Metzger is legally blind. Liu didn’t allow Metzger to dine at the location with her guard dog.

A happy return for lunch at Hana: Mary Beth Metzger, the blind Latham woman who was told in January she had to sit… https://t.co/ATPom3r0Ex

— SLOW Albany (@SLOWAlbany) March 23, 2016

Metzger noticed how unusual this is, as it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since obtaining her dog in 1981, Mary reported that this has only occurred two other times in the past.

On both occasions, Mary threatened to call the police. Nonetheless, this was the only time she actually had to make the call for intervention. Once the police arrived, the manager sat Metzger in another room far away from the other diners.

According to Cheng, he does not think that people should be forced to eat at a restaurant where there are dogs. However, Cheng’s personal feelings are not important, as he violated the law and caused a major problem for his bosses.

The manager’s owner made a public apology to Metzger and terminated Cheng’s employment for refusing to serve the blind patron. The owners of the restaurant posted a message about the incident on their Facebook.

“The manager’s actions were not in accordance with company policy and have caused great embarrassment to our establishment. Hana Japanese Steakhouse and the manager have since parted ways.”

Reportedly, Metzger was invited back to the eatery. She accepted the invitation and was served without an incident.

[Photo via Shutterstock]