Pit Bull Service Dog Mall: Autistic Girl Turned Away From Mall Santa Because Of Service Dog’s Breed

A pit bull service dog at a mall in Mission Viejo, California, kept an autistic child from visiting with Santa. According to People Magazine, Abcde Santos, 7, wanted to visit Santa for a photo, and to tell him what she wanted for Christmas, of course, but she was turned away because mall employees were turned off by the pit bull, and didn’t want to take any chances.

“[Abcde] waited in line for half an hour with her service dog Pup-Cake to see Mr. Claus, but was greeted with an upsetting surprise once she finally reached the front of the line. St. Nick refused to see Abcde… because he was leery of the 5-year-old pit bull accompanying her. The Santos family offered to take Pup-Cake outside so Abcde could have her turn, but the Santa still refused,” reports People Magazine.

The pit bull service dog at the mall looked harmless enough — his best friend is a 7-year-old girl after all — but many people are leery of pit bulls because of their bad reputations. However, service dogs are trained, and have excellent behavior and quiet demeanor.

“The dog is not a breed when it is a service animal. A service animal is a highly trained companion to an individual and the breed is secondary. The Americans with Disabilities Act gives an individual with a disability the right to have their companion and service animal with them to do the job that they’re trained to do,” explained family friend Julie Miller.

Even still, Santa wasn’t having it. According to KDVR, the company who hired the mall Santa, issued a public apology to the family.

“For 26 years, The Noerr Programs has devoted itself to sharing the heart of Santa through the creation of magical Christmas experiences for all children and their families. The entire team at The Noerr Programs sincerely apologizes for any distress caused by this situation, and truly regrets the incident. We have reached out to the girl’s family, in an effort to extend a private Santa visit with complimentary photos of both the child and her service dog,” read the statement in part.

The treatment of the pit bill service dog at the mall has outraged animal lovers and supports all over the country. The family involved released a statement of their own, confirming that they resolved the issue with the Noerr Company, and that the mall Santa that turned away their little girl has been fired.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Santos family is hoping to bring more awareness to the world when it comes to service dogs — and the people who depend on them — by sharing their story.

[Photo courtesy of Facebook]