Man repeatedly refused entry to hotels and pub with guide dog

  • Watch John's story on discrimination against him and his guide dog

A Bridgwater man who won a discrimination case after a restaurant refused him entry because of his guide dog says it's happened to him three times since then.

John Hardy is registered as blind and relies on Sidney, his trained Labrador, to get him around. But he says he’s continuing to face businesses that either don’t understand or ignore the law.

One of the incidents took place at a pub in Somerset and two happened while he was in London with his wife, Colleen, to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

John says they were refused entry to a hotel they had booked to stay in for the night and were left with needing to find somewhere else at around 7.30pm.

The second refusal came at breakfast in the replacement hotel they found to stay at. Despite having slept there overnight, the hotel tried to prevent John from eating breakfast in the restaurant in the morning because Sidney was with him.

Sidney meeting Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace.

John said: "You feel really frustrated. I actually felt really frustrated inside the pub because I’m explaining to the landlord the law and what the law says and my previous experience in terms of how the other establishment had to pay compensation.

"The landlord replied ‘well, you’ll have to prosecute me then’. That just adds to the frustration because it’s not being taken seriously."

On the refusal when arriving at the hotel in the evening, Colleen said: "It made me feel very vulnerable because I was thinking where are we going to go? The dog’s tired, he’s worked all day, my husband’s tired, I’m tired and we just had nowhere to go."

Thankfully, most of the cafes, restaurants and pubs John goes to, like The Windmill Inn in West Quantoxhead, Somerset, know the law and both he and Sid are very welcome.

Owner Craig Holmes said: "In terms of John and Colleen, I’ve known them a number of years but I was always supportive of dogs and assistance dogs in my business because it’s, as I see it, an extension of the individual.

"They need that support to be able to lead as relatively normal life as possible and, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve got a social responsibility to support them in my business."

John says he’s determined to continue to fight for people’s rights, saying: "I know that there are many people like me with guide dogs and assistance dogs who are discriminated against on a daily basis. I think that’s totally unacceptable. It’s certainly unacceptable when it happens to me personally so I will not let it happen to me any time and I will take it right through the courts."

All three incidents are with solicitors who are looking at bringing cases against the businesses.

Campaigns Officer at the RNIB, Bernie Reddington, said 76% of guide dog owners report being refused entry to businesses, including restaurants, pubs, taxis and swimming pools.

"It's absolutely no surprise to me whatsoever that this is still happening," she said.

Campaigner Bernie Reddington with her guide dog Ash.

She blamed a lack of understanding, adding: “I don’t think business owners quite understand the function of a guide dog.

"I don't think they really understand that it’s the equivalent of a wheelchair, or a crutch, or a walking stick - that person is using that guide dog because it’s something they require to help them with their mobility.

“They work as a unit, they are a partnership, it’s not a luxury and it’s not a privilege to have a guide dog. It’s not just like you fancy taking the dog out for the day, you need that dog to be able to do the things you do every day.”