Dog owners used pets for ‘emotional support’ to get seat at restaurants

Pet owners across the country are passing off their dogs as "emotional support animals" in order to gain access to pubs, restaurants, cafés and supermarkets that would otherwise refuse them entry.

Charities including Assistance Dogs UK and Guide Dogs for the Blind have raised growing concerns about individuals exploiting equality legislation designed to protect disabled people with genuine assistance dogs.

The trend appears to have accelerated since the covid-era surge in dog ownership, with charities suggesting owners have developed an expectation that their pets should be welcome everywhere.

Business owners are reportedly flooding charity helplines seeking guidance on which animals they must legally admit, with staff describing scenes of dogs "causing chaos in cafés".

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Under current law, refusing entry to a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog is illegal. However, emotional support animals, a concept more prevalent in America, have no legal recognition in Britain.

The absence of a national register for assistance dogs has created significant difficulties for businesses attempting to distinguish legitimate service animals from pets. Owners are not obliged to produce documentation when questioned about their dog's status.

This regulatory gap has left staff particularly vulnerable when dealing with claims involving hidden disabilities such as ADHD and anxiety, where the need for an assistance animal may be less immediately apparent.

Counterfeit assistance dog harnesses and identification tags are readily available on the internet for as little as £10, enabling pet owners to deceive venues with ease.

The situation has also resulted in safety concerns, with reports of employees being bitten by animals falsely presented as trained assistance dogs.

Customers may consequently find themselves dining alongside untrained pets lacking the bladder control that genuine assistance dogs develop through specialist training programmes. Charity leaders warn that the deception is creating serious consequences for those who genuinely depend on trained assistance dogs.

Vicky Worthington of Assistance Dogs UK, an umbrella organisation representing 20 charities, emphasised the distinction between convenience and necessity.

Ms Worthington said: "We can't speak to the motivations of people who misrepresent their pet or poorly trained dog as a trained assistance dog, but we can speak to the consequences,"

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She continued: "When a service provider has a bad experience with a dog that isn't trained to behave appropriately in public spaces, it is the next trained assistance dog partnership through the door who pays the price."

"It is disabled people who are losing out here we would urge people to think before they misrepresent their pet dog in this way," she added.

JD Wetherspoon tightened its dog policy in May last year, restricting entry to official guide dogs and assistance animals with accredited training.

The pub chain acted following increased incidents of staff being bitten and a rise in customers using fraudulent harnesses and tags.

Gordon Ramsay recently rejected allegations that a dachshund had urinated inside one of his pet-friendly pizza establishments after footage circulated online showing a dog positioned on a puppy-training pad among diners.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has called for both pet owners and businesses to adopt a "common-sense approach" to the issue.

A government spokesman condemned the practice unequivocally.

They said: " It is wrong for people to pretend their dog is an emotional support animal to enter a premises. That support is for a disabled person with an assistance dog, with very few exceptions.

"Where individuals are concerned they have been a victim of discrimination, there is advice available through the Equality Advisory and Support Service."

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