Blind man 'humiliated' after he was refused service at restaurant
A blind pensioner was left embarrassed and humiliated after being refused service at a Victorian restaurant when his seeing eye dog wasn’t allowed inside.
Hughie has a very serious job. He’s Les Wehsack’s eyes and ears – the two come as a packaged pair.
But on Sunday night when Mr Wehsack went out for dinner in Colac with a friend, workers said Hughie wasn’t welcome.
“They said you can tie him up out the front, but he’s not to come in,” he told 7 News.
The legally blind 69-year-old tried to explain Hughie was a seeing eye dog.
He says they were rudely shown the door and were forced to walk in the rain to find another restaurant.
“It was wrong what they did, it was humiliating and annoying”, Mr Wehsack said.
“They didn’t seem to understand or didn’t want to understand they were breaking the law.”
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The restaurant owners insist they weren’t aware of the laws regarding guide dogs.
They’ve since been visited by the council and have apologised for kicking out Les and Hughie.
“These are not pets, they are working dogs that are critical to the independence and safety of people who are blind or have low vision,” Guide Dogs Victoria’s Karen Hayes said.
