Woman upset after salon refuses to let service dog enter

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A Fort Bend County woman says a local nail salon violated her civil rights after she says they refused to let her service dog enter the shop.

Sherry Cardinal's 6 1/2-year-old rat terrier, Tanka, is part of her therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I've had service dogs for the last 20 years after an armed carjacking," Cardinal said.

On Monday, Cardinal said, she took Tanka to the H-E-B grocery store on Highway 6 in Sugar Land. She shopped and then stopped by a nail salon inside the store.

"All I said was, 'I need a manicure.' The girl said "No dog. No dog," and I said, 'But he's a service dog. He's allowed," Cardinal said.

She handed the woman a card explaining the Americans with Disabilities Act and the use of service animals, but to no avail.

Channel 2 went to the salon, where employees said the manager had gone home for the day and they could not speak on the matter.

In a statement to Channel 2 News, a spokesperson for the grocery store said the salon is a tenant of H-E-B and is not affiliated with the company.

"The lease agreement clearly states tenants are required to abide by all local and federal laws and regulations," wrote Cyndy Garza. "We take this unfortunate incident very seriously and will address the matter with the tenant immediately."

Whether the problem was a language barrier or a lack of understanding about the law, Cardinal says there's no excuse and she plans to file a complaint against the salon with the U.S. Department of Justice.