Guide dog not allowed to walk around shop (From Stroud News and Journal)

Guide dog not allowed to walk around shop

A BLIND woman is furious that the owner of her local convenience store will not allow her to walk the aisles with her guide dog and select her own shopping.

Margaret Wells, 64, has to wait at the kiosk in the Spar store in Queen's Drive, Cashes Green, while staff collect items on her list.

Mrs Wells grew up in Cashes Green and has been visiting the shop on a daily basis since it opened in the 1950s.

She wants to shop properly with a sighted helper and her guide dog Bill.

But manager Colin Sims has asked her to wait at the kiosk in case Bill cocks his leg or sniffs products.

The Disability Discrimination Act introduced in 1999 states that guide dog owners must be able to enter shops and other services.

While Mrs Wells, of Princes Road, Cashes Green, is allowed onto the premises with the three-year-old chocolate Labrador but she wants to be able to walk around the shop like everyone else.

"The first time he refused me he said the dog would sniff the products," she said.

"I have tried since to go round the shop and they say, 'we'd rather you wait there'.

"There might be something on the shelf I've overlooked on my list. I might miss the bargains.

"I don't have any trouble anywhere else. Half the time, they don't tell me the prices at the Spar.

"I don't see why I should be penalised.

"If there were other shops in Cashes Green I would use them."

Mr Sims said he did not want Bill walking around the aisles for health and safety reasons.

"We are a small shop," he said. "Some of our shelves are quite low.

"Another possible issue we could have with the dog walking round the shop is that it might cock its leg. Dogs will be dogs.

"We'll take her round in the future if that's what she wants but I can't see that's an improvement on the service she's getting."

*See next week's SNJ for a feature about Guide Dogs.