Photo:Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteWhile Boston couple Lauren Laliberte and Steve Bohn were busy preparing for their Cape Cod wedding, they were looking forward to celebrating alongside Bohn’s service dog — a yellow labrador named Orion. The plan was simple: They would make the trek from Boston to the Cape, and stay in an Airbnb the nights before and after their big day.Orion helps Bohn, a veteran, with everyday tasks after he survived a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2008. He was subject to several spinal surgeries, and Orion is trained to help him pick up objects off the ground, and to do other small chores. Laliberte, a NICU nurse, tells PEOPLE that aside from being a working dog, Orion is “a big, gentle giant” who plays with their 15-month-old and is best friends with the couple’s French bulldog.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“He gets along great with everyone,” she says. “He’s a sweetheart.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteAnd while most warmly welcome Orion, the host of their Airbnb did not. Not only did the host cancel their stay days before the wedding, right after Laliberte informed her that Orion would be coming, but even after offering to leave Orion home, the Airbnb host wouldn’t budge.“The safety of my family will always come first,” the host told Laliberte at the time.“They did mention allergies when they originally messaged me back,” Laliberte says. “And that’s when we said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make arrangements for Orion to stay home.’ Then, the next morning he messaged me back and said that I should still find somewhere else to stay. The most confusing part was even though we had somebody to watch Orion for the weekend, we still weren’t able to stay there.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteStephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“It just made it seem like, ‘Do you screen for people who have pets, or no?’” she says. “I don’t know.”PEOPLE obtained a statement from Airbnb on their service pet policy, which reads:“We have policies in place protecting the rights of guests with service animals, and our specialized support team has launched an investigation into this matter. We’ve immediately rebooked our guests into a new listing free of charge, and we thank them for bringing this issue to our attention.”Laliberte was grateful that Airbnb was able to fix them up with a last-minute free stay elsewhere.“They comped our stay, which was amazing,” she says. “They came through, for sure.”Airbnb, however, did not give an update on the host.“That is something we should probably follow up on, just to make sure… [regarding] education or anything on service dogs going forward,” Laliberte says.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteAfterthe story initially broke, through ABC Network’s Boston affiliate, WCVB, the couple received an outpouring of support from locals, who were offering their place for Laliberte, Bohn, and Orion to stay that weekend. Laliberte says that the support “has really meant a lot.”“Honestly, it’s super emotional. Really, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. Just anxiety at the beginning with not really knowing what we were going to do, and then to see everybody just so willing to help us out and go above and beyond has really meant a lot,” she says.“You see people do some maybe not so great things, like pulling away from our rental, but then to see a lot of people come through and help us out just makes it that much better and really just restores your faith in humanity,” she adds. “It’s definitely nice.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“The support that everyone has shown us is unbelievable," Bohn told PEOPLE via email. “I would’ve never imagined that people across the country would reach out to support us. We are truly appreciative for their kind words and support. My hope is to educate the public on the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] law.“Laliberte also hopes this will be a teaching moment for the public on service dogs — why they’re so important, and what they mean for people who need them.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“Honestly, they’re invaluable — for physical reasons, people need them. Then, there’s the emotional and connection side too,” she says. “I know he’s helped out Steve so much in ways that I don’t really know that people could. I think having a greater understanding of what they do for people on a daily basis would just be helpful, and maybe I think awareness about their needs throughout the day would be amazing for everyone.”
Photo:Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte
Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte
While Boston couple Lauren Laliberte and Steve Bohn were busy preparing for their Cape Cod wedding, they were looking forward to celebrating alongside Bohn’s service dog — a yellow labrador named Orion. The plan was simple: They would make the trek from Boston to the Cape, and stay in an Airbnb the nights before and after their big day.Orion helps Bohn, a veteran, with everyday tasks after he survived a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2008. He was subject to several spinal surgeries, and Orion is trained to help him pick up objects off the ground, and to do other small chores. Laliberte, a NICU nurse, tells PEOPLE that aside from being a working dog, Orion is “a big, gentle giant” who plays with their 15-month-old and is best friends with the couple’s French bulldog.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“He gets along great with everyone,” she says. “He’s a sweetheart.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteAnd while most warmly welcome Orion, the host of their Airbnb did not. Not only did the host cancel their stay days before the wedding, right after Laliberte informed her that Orion would be coming, but even after offering to leave Orion home, the Airbnb host wouldn’t budge.“The safety of my family will always come first,” the host told Laliberte at the time.“They did mention allergies when they originally messaged me back,” Laliberte says. “And that’s when we said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make arrangements for Orion to stay home.’ Then, the next morning he messaged me back and said that I should still find somewhere else to stay. The most confusing part was even though we had somebody to watch Orion for the weekend, we still weren’t able to stay there.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteStephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“It just made it seem like, ‘Do you screen for people who have pets, or no?’” she says. “I don’t know.”PEOPLE obtained a statement from Airbnb on their service pet policy, which reads:“We have policies in place protecting the rights of guests with service animals, and our specialized support team has launched an investigation into this matter. We’ve immediately rebooked our guests into a new listing free of charge, and we thank them for bringing this issue to our attention.”Laliberte was grateful that Airbnb was able to fix them up with a last-minute free stay elsewhere.“They comped our stay, which was amazing,” she says. “They came through, for sure.”Airbnb, however, did not give an update on the host.“That is something we should probably follow up on, just to make sure… [regarding] education or anything on service dogs going forward,” Laliberte says.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberteAfterthe story initially broke, through ABC Network’s Boston affiliate, WCVB, the couple received an outpouring of support from locals, who were offering their place for Laliberte, Bohn, and Orion to stay that weekend. Laliberte says that the support “has really meant a lot.”“Honestly, it’s super emotional. Really, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. Just anxiety at the beginning with not really knowing what we were going to do, and then to see everybody just so willing to help us out and go above and beyond has really meant a lot,” she says.“You see people do some maybe not so great things, like pulling away from our rental, but then to see a lot of people come through and help us out just makes it that much better and really just restores your faith in humanity,” she adds. “It’s definitely nice.”Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“The support that everyone has shown us is unbelievable,” Bohn told PEOPLE via email. “I would’ve never imagined that people across the country would reach out to support us. We are truly appreciative for their kind words and support. My hope is to educate the public on the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] law.“Laliberte also hopes this will be a teaching moment for the public on service dogs — why they’re so important, and what they mean for people who need them.Stephen Bohn and Lauren LaLiberte“Honestly, they’re invaluable — for physical reasons, people need them. Then, there’s the emotional and connection side too,” she says. “I know he’s helped out Steve so much in ways that I don’t really know that people could. I think having a greater understanding of what they do for people on a daily basis would just be helpful, and maybe I think awareness about their needs throughout the day would be amazing for everyone.”
While Boston couple Lauren Laliberte and Steve Bohn were busy preparing for their Cape Cod wedding, they were looking forward to celebrating alongside Bohn’s service dog — a yellow labrador named Orion. The plan was simple: They would make the trek from Boston to the Cape, and stay in an Airbnb the nights before and after their big day.
Orion helps Bohn, a veteran, with everyday tasks after he survived a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2008. He was subject to several spinal surgeries, and Orion is trained to help him pick up objects off the ground, and to do other small chores. Laliberte, a NICU nurse, tells PEOPLE that aside from being a working dog, Orion is “a big, gentle giant” who plays with their 15-month-old and is best friends with the couple’s French bulldog.
“He gets along great with everyone,” she says. “He’s a sweetheart.”
And while most warmly welcome Orion, the host of their Airbnb did not. Not only did the host cancel their stay days before the wedding, right after Laliberte informed her that Orion would be coming, but even after offering to leave Orion home, the Airbnb host wouldn’t budge.
“The safety of my family will always come first,” the host told Laliberte at the time.
“They did mention allergies when they originally messaged me back,” Laliberte says. “And that’s when we said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make arrangements for Orion to stay home.’ Then, the next morning he messaged me back and said that I should still find somewhere else to stay. The most confusing part was even though we had somebody to watch Orion for the weekend, we still weren’t able to stay there.”
“It just made it seem like, ‘Do you screen for people who have pets, or no?’” she says. “I don’t know.”
PEOPLE obtained a statement from Airbnb on their service pet policy, which reads:
“We have policies in place protecting the rights of guests with service animals, and our specialized support team has launched an investigation into this matter. We’ve immediately rebooked our guests into a new listing free of charge, and we thank them for bringing this issue to our attention.”
Laliberte was grateful that Airbnb was able to fix them up with a last-minute free stay elsewhere.
“They comped our stay, which was amazing,” she says. “They came through, for sure.”
Airbnb, however, did not give an update on the host.
“That is something we should probably follow up on, just to make sure… [regarding] education or anything on service dogs going forward,” Laliberte says.
Afterthe story initially broke, through ABC Network’s Boston affiliate, WCVB, the couple received an outpouring of support from locals, who were offering their place for Laliberte, Bohn, and Orion to stay that weekend. Laliberte says that the support “has really meant a lot.”
“Honestly, it’s super emotional. Really, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. Just anxiety at the beginning with not really knowing what we were going to do, and then to see everybody just so willing to help us out and go above and beyond has really meant a lot,” she says.
“You see people do some maybe not so great things, like pulling away from our rental, but then to see a lot of people come through and help us out just makes it that much better and really just restores your faith in humanity,” she adds. “It’s definitely nice.”
“The support that everyone has shown us is unbelievable,” Bohn told PEOPLE via email. “I would’ve never imagined that people across the country would reach out to support us. We are truly appreciative for their kind words and support. My hope is to educate the public on the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] law.”
Laliberte also hopes this will be a teaching moment for the public on service dogs — why they’re so important, and what they mean for people who need them.
“Honestly, they’re invaluable — for physical reasons, people need them. Then, there’s the emotional and connection side too,” she says. “I know he’s helped out Steve so much in ways that I don’t really know that people could. I think having a greater understanding of what they do for people on a daily basis would just be helpful, and maybe I think awareness about their needs throughout the day would be amazing for everyone.”
source: people.com
