Pub chain criticised over assistance dog incident

Molly the Cavapoochon alerts her owner, Rob Gray, when his blood sugar levels fall or rise

A man has said he felt "humiliated" after he and his medical alert dog were asked to leave a pub.

Cavapoochon Molly alerts Rob Gray, who is diabetic, when his blood sugar levels rise or fall.

He said Wetherspoons staff in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, refused access because he did not have the correct ID card for the dog, but the charity Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK) said "no such requirement exists" under the law.

A spokesperson for Wetherspoons said the chain's rules meant "employees can apply a consistent and easily understood policy".

Mr Gray, 58, said he had previously been to the same pub with his dog, and had to ask staff to stop petting her, as it could distract her.

However, on this occasion, soon after arriving to meet friends, a staff member approach the table and asked him to leave with Molly.

He was with people he knew and those he did not and said he felt a ""bit embarrassed to say the least".

Without Molly, he said he would feel "worried about coming in to see my friends".

He added: "If I have a hypo (hypoglycaemic attack) and fall and hit my head, who will be liable for that?"

As well as alerting Rob Gray to changes in his blood sugar level, Molly also assists his wife Emma

Before getting Molly as a birthday present from his wife, he had suffered broken bones during falls caused by low blood sugar levels.

As well as working as a medical alert dog for Mr Gray, he said Molly assisted his wife Emma, who uses a wheelchair, at home.

Mrs Gray, 44, trained Molly, which is why she does not have an ADUK-specific ID card, she said.

The training involved getting the Cavapoochon familiar with the smells of Mr Gray's sweat when his blood sugar is too low of too high, so she nudges him when detecting the scents.

Mrs Gray added: "I know they're having a lot of problems with people taking in pets and making out that they're assistance dogs, but you can really tell the difference because of the training and how they behave."

Molly was wearing a jacket identifying her as an assistance dog at the time of the incident, Mr Gray said

After being told to leave the pub, Mr Gray told his wife about it on the phone, leaving her "absolutely fuming".

"The thing that I have been very angry about is that staff members questioned my husband on what his disabilities were, but then they went and asked his friends when he wasn't there, what my husband's disabilities were."

"It really knocks people's confidence," she said.

Pubs 'extremely busy' places

A Wetherspoons spokesperson said the chain had a "long-standing no-dogs policy in its pubs".

A statement added that only guide dogs or assistance dogs with training by ADUK-accredited organisations would be permitted, as the company's pubs were "extremely busy places".

They said it was "very important" that only trained assistance dogs were allowed on their premises, "in the interests of all concerned and particularly for the health and safety of staff and customers".

However, ADUK's executive director Vicky Worthington said: "Access must not be conditional on assistance dog users presenting ID, as no such requirement exists under the Equality Act 2010."

She added that the charity provided "clear, accessible guidance" on its website.

In Mr Gray's case, the Wetherspoons spokesperson said: "The customer was unable to provide evidence that his dog met this criteria.

"After the pub staff explained the company's policy, the customer arranged for the dog to be collected and remained in the pub thereafter."

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