Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Guide Dogs Banned

You know, sometimes you read a story that really makes your blood boil and this one really did it for me.

A partially-sighted lady was wandering round a car boot sale - yes, a car boot sale! - when she was asked to leave because dogs weren’t allowed.

According to 50 year old Mrs Stone:

“We had only been there a short time when this man came over and told me dogs were banned - I explained she was my guide dog, but he just did not want to know.  This man just kept shouting at me, it was very embarrassing and humiliating to be spoken to like that in front of big group of people. I was really shaking. I needed my guide dog at the car boot sale as she helps me get up close to objects so I can see them better and is trained to cope with crowds.

People just show a bit more consideration when you have a guide dog and my husband is able to go off and do his own thing if he wants to.  Uschie was in harness and it was perfectly clear that she was a guide dog. The man said she had to leave because there is a problem with dog fouling, but she has been trained only to go on command.  I was told that I could either carry her or put her in a trolley, which was just a ridiculous suggestion.

She is very well behaved in harness and acts as my eyes, it has made a huge difference to me; I couldn’t cope without her.”

I am so pleased to hear that the persons responsibly at the Stalham Football Club in Norwich now face prosecution under the Disability Discrimination Act, and so they should.  What rights do they have to ban someone?

It is bad enough that there are so few places you can take your dog nowadays, and now they try to ban guide dogs too.  Personally, I believe a car boot sale is one of the few places left when you can walk round with your dog, allowing them to get used to people, different sights and smells.  Dogs need socialising.  It is because we do not allow them to go places that they are confined to their homes, getting to know only the immediate family and then bark and growl and don’t know how to act with others.  Sure, I understand not everyone likes dogs, some people are allergic to them and nobody likes it if a dog has an ‘accident’ but the owner should take responsiblity, be careful how long the dog is out for and be sure to clean up if anything happens.  As for banning guide dogs - ridiculous!