A blind woman felt compelled to leave a Wetherspoon pub after staff demanded proof that her guide dog, Rosie, was a genuine guide dog.<\/p>\n
Joanne Hewitson, 31, said she was \u201clivid\u201d and \u201cshaking\u201d after her experience going for breakfast at a pub in Hartlepool. The pub chain has apologised for the incident, with a spokesperson saying an error was made.<\/p>\n
Hewitson said she had been contacted by people with similar experiences. She said she was told at the pub that she could not be served unless she provided evidence that Rosie was a genuine guide dog.<\/p>\n
The incident, which happened last month, was all the more emotional because it was Hewitson\u2019s first time out since she fractured her back in January. She said she and her partner, Craig, were heading to the coast and decided to pop into the Ward Jackson pub for breakfast.<\/p>\n
Hewitson said she had some new Meta glasses that could read the menu to her and she was doing that while Rosie, who has been with her for about five years, lay down. \u201cShe had her harness on with the nationally recognised logo,\u201d Hewitson said. \u201cShe was under the table, impeccable behaviour, not bothering anybody.<\/p>\n
\u201cA staff member came and she said: \u2018ID card for your dog.\u2019 I said: \u2018I\u2019ve never been asked, I don\u2019t have it with me.\u2019 She said: \u2018It\u2019s our policy, you can\u2019t come in unless you have identification.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI said: \u2018She has a full harness on,\u2019 and she said she needed to see the card. I said that by law you\u2019re not required to provide one, [but] she just kept demanding it and I thought: I\u2019m in a situation where I\u2019m not really welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hewitson, her partner and Rosie left the pub because of the fuss. \u201cI felt like I was at a disadvantage compared to any able-bodied customer who can just walk in and order their food with no problems,\u201d she said. \u201cShe [the staff member] wasn\u2019t listening to me, she just kept reiterating the policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hewitson said she had been before to Wetherspoons with Rosie without any issues. \u201cI don\u2019t feel like I have a dog with me,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I see her, she is my eyes. We come as a package deal, she is like an extension of me. I can\u2019t leave my house without her.\u201d<\/p>\n