A disabled woman is claiming that the manager of a pub kicked her out along with her assistance dog, The Mirror reports. However, she showed the correct paperwork.
Louise Harris, 40, was at The Reginald Mitchell in Stoke-on-Trent with friends on Jan. 16. As she lives with multiple sclerosis and a lack of mobility, her assistance dog Bella was by her side. The Cockapoo helps her with tasks like getting dressed and opening doors.
Proof of Assistance Dog Credentials Rejected
However, she says that the manager approached her, telling her that dogs weren’t allowed in the pub. Despite Louise providing proof that Bella is an assistance dog, the manager wouldn’t change his mind.
“The manager came up to me and he said ‘your dog isn’t allowed in here, I’d like you to leave, your dog isn’t an assistance dog’,” she explained.
“I showed him my paperwork. I had my hidden disability lanyard on. You can’t see I’ve got one when I’m sitting down. So it’s got my ID and a photograph which says what disabilities I’ve got.
“Assistance dogs have to have their registered paperwork which I had on me. They have to have their coats on to prove she’s an assistance dog and not any old dog, so it’s visible.”
A “No-Dog” Policy
While Louise says that she stayed calm during the dispute, she “came out and cried” afterward.
“I went to the bus station, I waited until I stopped crying,” she explained. “I didn’t want anybody else to know what was going on.”
She continued: “I try to fit in as best as I can, I am disabled but I try to be as able as I can”.
J D Wetherspoon, which runs the pub, introduced a ban on dogs in 2018, but assistance dogs are exempt.
Eddie Gershon, a spokesperson for the company, said: “Wetherspoon operates a ‘No-dog’ policy in all of its pubs with the exception of assistance dogs. We are dealing directly with Ms Harris to understand and address her concerns.”
