Frank Bicking depends on his service dog to help detect life-threatening seizures up to 30 minutes before they happen.

But another threat surprised him and his service dog just before Christmas while shopping at a Delaware mall.

Beauty, his nearly 2-year-old German Shepard, and Bicking were attacked by two dogs owned by a kiosk operator at the Christiana Mall near Newark, Delaware on Dec. 22, according to Bicking, 47, of West Deptford.

The kiosk owner told Bicking his animals were emotional support dogs and were allowed to be with him in the mall. Bicking said Beauty was not seriously injured in the attack but remains traumatized and may now need additional training to remain effective.

Beauty is trained not to show aggression. She didn’t fight back even when the smaller dogs bit her hind legs and underbelly. Bicking, a former computer IT manager, was not injured.

Beauty’s training helped avert a larger melee. Bicking said he wants the mall, kiosk owner and local law enforcement and animal control officials to be on the same page about which animals should be allowed in public places because of federal disability laws and which should not.

"Emotional support dogs are not service animals,” Bicking said. "Sooner or later someone is going to get seriously hurt.”

A request for comment from mall management was not immediately returned by Tuesday.

Bicking said mall management told him they were in compliance with the law by allowing the emotional support dogs in the mall.

The dogs belonged to the owner of a skin-care kiosk operating in the hallway of the mall. Attempts to reach the kiosk owner were not successful.

CBS TV Philadelphia reported mall management expelled the kiosk owner and the dogs after the incident. They also reported the kiosk owner said he was fined by local animal control officers.

Bicking said he was not aware of any action the mall took. He said he tried to file a police report that day but Delaware State Police referred him to local animal welfare officers to file a complaint the following day, Monday, Dec. 23.

A call to Delaware State Police on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Bicking said he has spent nearly $20,000 acquiring and training Beauty and fears he may need to spend more for additional training to get over the trauma.

“I have multiple disabilities and a rare form of migraines that can come on instantaneously,” Bicking said.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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