Chaya Amiad was refused service and ordered to leave a Seattle clothing store when she refused to enter without her dog. Amiad doesn't suffer from a visual impairment, but nevertheless sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming an emotional dependence on the dog. A psychologist treating Amiad for depression said the dog is a mental health service animal, much like a guide dog for the blind, trained to assist Ms. Amiad with "cognitive disorientation and confusion" and recurring symptoms of narcolepsy.

Storekeeper Sharon Kempler-Jones claims Amiad failed to explain her disabled status, and that her concern at the time was that the small, shaggy animal would damage her merchandise. The Seattle Office of Civil Rights disagreed, ordering Kempler-Jones to pay Amiad $250 and attend sensitivity training. In another case investigated by the Washington state Human Rights Commission, a man received $800 and an apology from a motel that refused him a room because of the dog on which he depended.

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