Last Friday at the Portland Highland Games,at 5:00 pm, we were told by a very agitated woman at the gate that our daughter's service dog was not allowed in and that we were only allowed entry today but not tomorrow. This lady identified herself as being on the board of directors for the Portland Highland Games, an event that draws thousands of people from all over United States.

Our service dog had been in our area all day, no problem. When I stated that our dog helps our daughter who has Aspergers she stated that she and I needed to speak to Pat McLean, another board member about our dog. Pat McLean promptly explained that only service dogs and therapy dogs are admitted, at this I stated that our dog was a service dog and she exclaimed that we needed to show proof of license because Mount Hood Community College request this of them. I have included here the ADA law that explains the rights of a service dog.



The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 grants specific rights and prohibits discrimination related to service dogs.
"There are no requirements for licensing, certification or identification of service dogs, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The animals are not required to wear special collars, vests or harnesses. The ADA makes it unlawful to require proof of a disability or identification for the service dog.
When dealing with so-called service animals, businesses are only allowed to ask two questions of dog owners:
• Is the dog required because of a disability?
• What task or service has the dog been trained to do?
A dog owner's answer to these two questions must be taken at face value,"

Even after explaining that what they were doing was against the law, both women stated that this is what Mount Hood Community College has asked them to do. Given our situation we had no recourse but to pack our tent, and leave the event that we have attended as a community service for the past 35 years. We were appalled at the discrimination we endured as well as the embarrassment of having to explain to our friends and family why were were leaving.

The person at the gate, along with Mrs. Pat McLean have broken the federal law. They new this and stated that Mount Hood Community College was the entity that requested that all service or Therapy dogs must show proof of license, which is clearly breaking the law!



With Autism on the rise and children using more and more guide dogs which in our case has proven so very helpful, we ask that you shine light on this situation so no other family will ever have to suffer the pain of being discriminated against.

The Board of Directors have broken the law and further more have broken a trust and respect between my family and I. I feel very depressed that my family was treated so shabbily at the hands of people I have known for decades. This year's games were to be our last due to the downsizing of my employment which has caused a relocation to another state. This was supposed to be a loving farewell to many years of friendship and joy but instead turned out to be filled with pain and embarrassment for our family and friends.