Blind man thrown out of cafe for taking in guide dog

A partially-sighted man was told to leave a Cambridge café because he had his guide dog with him. Andrew Lee, of Princess Court, Coronation Street, Trumpington, had gone into the Tudor Rose Café with his guide dog, Vinnie, and a friend for breakfast. But as soon as he walked in he was told to leave. The 46-year-old said: “I went into the café in Mill Road with a friend last Wednesday. The waitress came up and said you can’t have any dogs in here.”



He asked to speak to the manager, who came out and said he had to go. Mr Lee said: “I said ‘Did you know it is against the law? He has got a legal right to come in.’ He said ‘I don’t care for English law’.” The trio left the café to avoid further confrontation but Mr Lee has been left upset by the incident. He said: “I was really offended. We hadn’t been there before. Normally we go to the Salvation Army but it was closed. We only wanted a cooked breakfast.”

Mr Lee suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition which leads to incurable blindness. His problems started when he was a teenager and he was registered blind at 25. He has only had Vinnie for six months. He previously used a white stick but as his condition deteriorated he decided to get a guide dog so he didn’t become isolated.



Head waiter Osman Dogor was in charge of the Tudor Rose on Wednesday and spoke to Mr Lee. He said: “The staff are scared of dogs and I have allergies to animals, especially dogs. I came to him and told him we can’t have dogs in the café because I’m allergic to them. He told me it’s a guide dog, I told him it’s not about the guide dog, I have allergies, it’s not because I’m against animals. I just politely told him to leave, it may be against the law, I don’t know. I didn’t say that I didn’t need his custom because I care about all of my customers. I don’t feel like a rude person. He is welcome to sit near the door and leave the dog outside.”