Hospitality Staff Across UK Venues Enforcing Non-Existent Guide Dog ID Requirements

When Joanne Hewitson, 31, was asked to leave a Wetherspoons pub in Hartlepool in June 2026 for refusing to produce ID for her guide dog Rosie, it seemed an isolated mistake. But responses to her Instagram post revealed a pattern: multiple assistance-dog owners reported facing identical demands at different venues. UK law requires no such documentation. The issue points to a sector-wide training gap rather than individual staff error, raising questions about how hospitality chains communicate disability access policies to frontline staff.