A woman who brought a kangaroo into a McDonald's in southern Wisconsin says she didn't do it just for kicks.
Diana Moyer, the kangaroo's owner, told Wisconsin's Daily Citizen that the 8-month old animal named "Jimmy" is a therapy pet who accompanies her nearly everywhere -- including her church, the movie theater, and regular visits to a McDonald's in the city of Beaver Dam.
After a customer complained on Friday, however, police asked Moyer to leave the fast food burger joint. A doctor's note she reportedly showed an officer did little to persuade him, reports WISC News, because the kangaroo isn't a trained service animal.
"I wish the person in McDonald’s would have just come and talked to me instead," Moyer, who is reportedly fighting cancer, told the Daily Citizen. "They are one of the most loving, trustworthy animals that I have ever had."
In a statement to The Huffington Post, Wanda Haltek, a director for the McDonald's Greater Chicago Region, confirmed police were indeed called to investigate the kangaroo's presence and resolve the situation.
Haltek said the restaurant strives to serve "all customers, including those with disabilities and special needs, in compliance with all laws and regulations."
While the Americans with Disabilities Act limited the definition of "service animals" to include only dogs and miniature horses, Wisconsin's statutes make an exception for "other" animals, so long as they're individually trained to help a person with a disability. As an untrained therapy pet, Moyer's kangaroo didn't quite fit the definition.
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