Who was BU here

[knicknackkarriewhack]

Sorry this is long. Was in a (chain) pizza takeaway and witnessed this. Customer probably in her sixties came in with an assistance dog, clearly wearing identification as such. Dog extremely well behaved. Didn’t hear her give it any commands, it never took it eyes off her, sat when she stopped, was glued to her side when she moved. It obviously was well trained and knew its role. She ordered from the young lad and stood at counter. Then an employee approached and she quite aggressively said dogs weren’t allowed. Customer answered it’s an assistance dog. Employee said it’s not allowed. Customer said under the equalities act 2010, the dog is classed as an auxiliary aid, and offered proof. Employee declined proof and moved away. Then about two mins later employee came back and said seen as you think you’re allowed in here can you move over there. Customer said sure and moved. She sat on a bench, dog immediately sat beside her. Employee then came out into the shop and started shouting at the customer and told her that she was being offensive by coming into the shop, and wasn’t allowed. Customer kept her composure and said I don’t know why you’re shouting at me, employee said because of the dog. Customer said I only have the dog because of my disability, so you’re shouting because I’m disabled. Employee then said you’re not effing disabled. Customer replied thank you I’ll take that as a compliment, it taken me 5 years to learn to walk after spinal injury, and are you aware that neurological disabilities aren’t visible. Employee was very intimidating and kept shouting at her to leave, customer refused. Who was BU , the employee for shouting or the customer for not leaving when asked. To be honest I was so impressed by dogs behaviour and how the customer kept her cool. Customer collected her order thanked the young lad for being polite and left. I did see her wiping her eyes as she passed the window. It was all very unpleasant and unnecessary. Imagine being treated like that just trying to buy a pizza.

OP it's absolutely disgraceful that someone treated you like this. Please complain to the chain's head office first thing tomorrow.

Anyone running establishments serving the public should know about service and guide dogs. Appalling experience! I hope the chain HQ takes your complaint seriously.

@knicknackkarriewhack I am so so sorry you experienced this. I am feeling angry for you and if I had been there would have had difficulty staying silent.
If you feel able please write to the chain letting them know what happened. The employee was clearly ignorant of both the law and common decency. No one should be treated like this.

Of course the employee was BU, and acting illegally. I'd be writing a lot of reviews.

Is this the same incident as the April one and you are presenting it from a different perspective or is this another second similar incident that happened?

Assuming it is a different one, what happened in follow up to the April incident?

I’m very sorry this happened to you, OP

Please name and shame the chain.

OP, I hope you get a good response from your complaint. My youngest is disabled - no dog, but uses a wheelchair - and gets so much ableist crap thrown at them.

This manager needs to be fired and all the staff in that branch retrained.

Everyone is familiar with guide dogs but perhaps the member of staff thought someone using a service dog for a spinal injury yet able to walk may not have been genuine? Absolutely wrong for anyone to challenge anyone though, particularly in such an aggressive manner of course.

As everyone else has said all you can do is complain then avoid this particular takeaway or do they do delivery if you want to avoid further confrontations?

OP you have my total support and sympathy. I can only assume the staff member had a personal dislike of dogs and complete ignorance of the Disability Discrimination Act. This should have been covered in training before they were employed in a customer facing position.

To the person who said it was cruel to train a dog to toilet on command I have to disagree. I have always taught my dogs to pee and/or poo to the command Hurry Up. It is far from 100% reliable, but they are rewarded when they go, and seem perfectly happy to cooperate. How different is that from sitting a baby or toddler on a potty before you get ready to go out?

@knicknackkarriewhack I'm sorry this happened to you.

Would you be open to answering a question I have about your assistance dog?

No not the same incident, believe it or not discrimination happens on a regular basis. Before 2018, I didn’t get any of this treatment, but that was before I broke my neck and was I able bodied. It is so commonplace, I don’t post every time it happens, as it can be several times a week. To be fair it was this weeks first incident, I’ve got off lightly in May. It was more the fact that she had three goes at me AND came out into the shop to do it.

Make a formal complaint to the company quoting dates and times and number of staff present. If you are in the UK, contact CAB and/or Equality Advisory Support Service for further advice on how to pursue this. Such a blatant disregard of the Equalties Act should not be ignored.

The employee should be sacked, the shop fined and all those that stood by and didn’t do anything should be ashamed.

You are just as bad as that employee who treated the op so appallingly.
A service dog is as entitled to be there as you or me.
You would be breaking the law by asking them to wait outside.

I have no need to visit again as it is 90 miles from my home. I was attending a course to become an IMDT accredited trainer, so I can volunteer as a trainer for the Dog A.I.D charity, (who we’re registered with) I have trained my own dog and would specifically like to help other disabled people live as independently as possible.

Did you train the dog yourself, or is it an official assistance dog, trained for the purpose? Part of the problem might be that some people are starting to claim their pets are assistance dogs.

If you feel comfortable posting the chain, please do as I shall take my business elsewhere if it’s one we use (I’m thinking a pizza place beginning with D?).

Apologies, posted just after you clarified. Good luck with the training and volunteering.

I am not naming the chain, as I am going to formally complain to head office, and I personally believe that would undermine my complaint. The company should be given a chance to address this with the parties involved. This might be just one bad apple and the whole company shouldn’t be boycotted for one persons ignorance.

You even have to ask?

Guilty of not RTFT again, 😔

That is shocking! I assumed that service dogs were exempt from normal rules around dogs in premises or in taxis ect and that this was common knowledge. You must take this to the head office of this company and this employee should be dealt with.

it sounds like you dealt with the situation very well but it must have been a very horrible experience. This employee sounds like a very horrible human being.

There are multiple threads about banning dogs or reducing the numbers and so it’s hardly surprising that there will be people who would not go into an enclosed space that has a dog in it.

I know people who have Emotional support cats, horses, skunks, ferrets and God knows what else.

There is a huge issue of people taking them into restaurants and shops and then creating a scene and posting it all over the internet because they’re not allowed.

I believe when this happened before OP (or someone with a similar situation) refused to show evidence that this was a service dog rather than an ESA.

What happens if 9/10 people require service dogs and there’s 9 dogs in one small establishment?

I have dogs and cats so it doesn’t affect me personally but I think having multiple animals in an area that prepares food is unsanitary and can impact those with allergies, phobias or certain cultures.

Bit weird to post a sort-of reverse and make up a whole back story about how you have PTSD and you admire 'the customer' so much.

There is no point in asking hypothetical questions about things that won't realistically happen. When have you ever been in. a restaurant where there has been more than two or three assistance animals?