Family claims they were denied service dog rights at Wytheville Subway

A family traveling through Virginia says they were thrown out of a Wytheville Subway restaurant because of their son's emotional support dog.

Eleven-year-old Elijah Geiger went into a Subway with his brother and sister to use the bathroom, bringing his emotional support dog.

As he was waiting for his siblings, the manager told him his dog, Chloe, couldn't be inside.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Chloe has been at Elijah's side every day for the last year. Elijah suffers from PTSD and anxiety after having a traumatic experience, according to his mother, Stephanie Followell.

Elijah Geiger, uses the emotional support dog for PTSD and anxiety rather than a prescribed medication.

“Unfortunately Elijah suffered the most from it, I don't know why but that's just how it ended up happening. But his brother is under psychiatric care and therapy as well,” said Followell.

The Department of Justice says a service animal must be trained to do work or perform tasks for someone with a disability. However, according to the American Disabilities Act and Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia, an emotional support dog is not considered a service dog and is not granted the same privileges.

The restaurant manager says if there was documentation about Chloe being a service dog or emotional support dog, there would have been no issues.

However, Elijah didn't have them, only a certificate from an online source on his mother’s phone.

To avoid issues such as this, it is important to know there is no documentation you can buy online to prove a service animal is legitimate.