P.D. in the doghouse

Somehow I would expect a progressive, client-centered public defender office to be a little less, oh, I don't know, anal retentive:

Service dog, owner booted from office:
Public defender offers apology

Paul Hinz... said he had been humiliated and his civil rights had been violated in a public office -- the home of the "people's lawyer."

Hinz, who has limited vision and movement, said he was thrown out of the Wake County public defender's office lobby because he was accompanied by his service dog, Sandy. "I don't deserve this," he said.

Public Defender Bryan Collins... said Hinz was asked to leave the West Martin Street lobby because the 70-pound chow-German shepherd mix was sitting on new furniture and shedding blondish hair.

Still, Collins called Hinz late Thursday to apologize.

Still? Is "creep" too strong a word here?

"I don't necessarily believe we have violated the law, but I think it's a close enough question that we owe the man an apology, and I've given him one," Collins said...

"The point was that the dog was sitting in an upholstered chair, and it was getting dog hair everywhere. My staff asked that the dog sit on the floor, which we thought was a reasonable accommodation," Collins said, also saying that the incident could have been handled better.

Dog hair! Everywhere! On our new furniture! You can't possibly expect us to uphold your right to counsel!