N.J. veteran with service dog kicked out of restaurant

Mike Alcorn's a big, burly guy. But even big guys need help.

Bearded, muscular and covered in tattoos, he doesn't look like someone you'd want to mess with on a bad day. And he's brought that strength to service — he's an Army combat veteran who's spent time in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti. He suffered injuries he's still grappling with.

Not all of them can be seen. That's where 1 1/2 year-old German shepherd Atlas comes in.

Atlas, Mike Alcorn's service dog, is there to help him stand when he has trouble with his knees. He's there to provide a barrier between Mike Alcorn and whatever might be causing him alarm in moments where his post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety take hold.

Sometimes, Atlas just stands to the side and leans into Mike, to provide emotional support.

"It's more to just let him know he's not alone," Meg Alcorn, Mike's wife, told New Jersey 101.5.

Alcorn's been an invaluable part of the Alcorn family of Shamong since July. But Thursday, when the Alcorns tried to stop by the Fortune Cookie restaurant in Medford for lunch, Meg Alcorn said, they were turned away.

A man she described as a representative of the restaurant — working the host station, dressed in business attire — told them "no, no dogs," she said.

That happens rarely, but it's happened before. So Mike Alcorn did what he usually does next — he clarified that Atlas, wearing a red service vest, was a service dog, Meg Alcorn said. He showed the man his federal ID card, which quotes the American Disabilities Act and clarifies that places of public accommodation should allow service dogs entry, Meg Alcorn said.

Again, "No dogs here."

Meg Alcorn couldn't say for sure if the man, who spoke with an accent, was fluent in English, but she said he acknowledged what Mike Alcorn was saying, acknowledged Atlas was a service dog, and still turned the couple and Atlas away. They were told they could wait outside and be brought their food, she said.

"It was humiliating," she said. "If we can just prevent something like this from happening to someone else, to another soldier, to children, to families, we want to shed light on it."

Similar denials of service have led to civil lawsuits. In 2012, Wawa settled a lawsuit with a Millville man denied access with a service animal, paying him $12,500 and agreeing to post signs in its stores saying it allows service dogs inside.

Meg Alcorn said she's hoping there's no need to take Fortune Cookie to court. But she does want it and other stores educated.

"We're certainly always willing to educate businesses when it comes to the law," she said. "We're happy to provide documentation, direction, whether it be to the laws or the guidelines, or just to explain the extensive training these dogs go through to help people who really need it."

Meg Alcorn said she and her husband have been in touch with Marlton-based Semper Fido, which paired Mike Alcorn with Atlas. On the group's advice, they've contacted Medford Police to tell them about the alleged ADA violation.

"This situation just could have been handled much better," she said. "If they'd ujst said we're not comfortable having dogs here, and had a discussion, and handled it in a more humane way, it wouldn't have escalated this far."

More broadly, she said, the Alcorns will keep working with organizations to educate individuals and businesses, and garner support for service members and others who need service dogs.

"Mike's a retired service member. And for a lot of service members, to go to an establishment and face this kind of adversity, it could really be detrimental to their psychological well-being," she said.