General Chat

a blind lady and her guide dog were trying to get in a taxi from cardiff to station, and were refused cos of the dog,
the driver was fined 200 pound for breaking the law

Quite right too.£200 pounds seems quite light to me.

Should have been double that price .
Hazelx

yep thats what i thought,

it makes me so cross when people turn their noses up at dogs, like that,

It happens all over. Here's one case in Australia last month:

http://north-shore-times.whereilive.com.au/news/story/guide-dog-gets-the-boot/

That driver wanted her to put her dog in the boot!

Unfortunately, there can be a clash of cultures and values. Some cultures simply don't take to pet animals, especially dogs. And some people of any culture are just afraid of dogs.

The solution is the same as for pharmacists who don't want to dispense birth control: sorry, get another job.

I have 3 dogs myself, but could quite understand if someone didn't want to have a dog in there car

Ah, but it is not their car.

It is the tool they use to provide a service, that they are licensed to provide to the public.

In providing a service to the public, they have to abide by the law. The law says that they may not discriminate against people because of disability, and probably specifically says they have to allow guide dogs for the visually impaired.

I can understand someone not wanting a dog in their car just as I can understand someone not wanting an Anglican at their dinner table. But restaurant owners may not refuse to serve Anglicans.

A taxi is not someone's car any more than a restaurant is someone's dinner table. ;)

fair point

I used to be a taxi controller ( fun job :)) not black cabs on a rank true, but mini cabs, if people asked to carry dogs ( not guide dogs that's different) we always tried to ensure it was a dog friendly driver,

but lets face it they take drunks on a saturday night , who are guaranteed to make more of a mess than dogs lol,

xx

my dogs go in the boot, but its an estate car

i think its more to do with there hair getting on peoples clothes, i wouldn't be happy if i was going out for the evening and a taxi picked me up with all hair in it, but the law is the law, i would just refuse the taxi

I was going to say just the same thing about drunks, Rose. ;)

Guide dogs really do just sit still, they don't poop or roll around getting hair on things.

People who got into a taxi after me would get more cat hair on their clothes than any dog hair anybody would get after a guide dog!

Guide dogs are trained from puppyhood very stringently... although lovingly.

They will NEVER sit on a seat when working (ie, when in harness) they are trained to sit underneath a chair or table, or on the floor of a vehicle.

They do not just poop. They do it on command, believe it or not, it is one of the first things they are taught. In fact , I was taught how to train my own two dogs that way.... and they always did, never went outside in public unless specifically instructed to do so.

It is illegal to refuse a blind or vision impaired person with a guide dog, access to facilities of any sort. Taxis, restaurants and shops are facilities.

Guide dogs do not have fleas, have to be brushed and kept in tip top condition, or they are removed from the blind person. They are actually only on loan, in a way.

Drunks, of course, can be refused access, may or may not have fleas, and as has been said, can and often do, make a dreadful mess.

I feel the penalty should have been harsher, myself. For instance, points on his licence... he has broken the law just as anyone speeding etc..... or even made to re-take his cabbie's licence... if that is what they have to do.... before being allowed to taxi again.

Love

Daff xxxxxx

ps, Julie Ann, was the company he worked for named?

i cant member daff
it was on bbc news website,


my only comment to the one about geting dog hair on clothes is
it can be brushed off,
but if a smelly dirty human has sat there prior, that cant be, and you cant see that,
plus how many drunks puke in cabs, or spit out of windows,

dont get me wrong folks,
i got two dogs, and little ones a little pest at times,
but id keep her on my lap if i had to, in fact i wouldnt take her in a cab,
but some people have to, with disabilities,

yeah your all right, guide dogs are well trained, just 1 other thing, what if the driver has an allergy to dogs, as does my sister in law, im not trying to be arguementative, just trying to see the drivers view

Hi Steven , i would have thought he would have said he was alergic
and then taken the lady in question to another cab maybe .
but to refuse to take a working dog in his cab , he should have the book thrown at him .
Hazelx

I do see the driver's view, really. Being in close quarters with a dog in the vehicle that is their place of work could be hard for many people, for many reasons.

If a driver said "I'm sorry, I can't take your dog because ___", and immediately made an arrangement for another cab to pick up the person and dog, and offered every other possible assistance, I'd find it hard to fault them. But that didn't happen here!

I am too tired to argue Steven, but You are SO, SO lucky that you can SEE.
Guide dogs are not ANIMALS as such, they are companions and carers.
Any taxi driver who does not allow a seeing eye dog into a taxi, needs to have his license taken off him.
NO EXCUSES!
Deanna X

We now have two Autism service dogs (for 2 of my grandchildren) who function basically as does a dog for the visually impaired. Both are non-shedding and hypo-allergenic. They sit on the floor, unless invited up by the handler.
Last weekend we went to a restaurant with both dogs, who slept under the table during the meal. We had no nasty looks nor negative comments, but had several questions and positive comments.
These dogs allow people with disabilities to become more integrated into society, while providing greater safety for the disabled person.
I can't say enough positive about how they are affecting our family and others in our community.
Mary

Whether the taxi driver is allergic to pet hair or not should not be an issue... the fact is, it is against the law! I know two people who have had to give up their profession (Nurses, one in intensive care, the other in surgery, friends of my sisters) because no matter what gloves they use, they are severely reactive to them. The legal position is that they have to wear them, so if they can't, then they have to look at another career. They were unable to stand the heat, so had to move out of the kitchen.

If the taxi driver had that severe a reaction to pet hair, then he wouldn't be able to sit in the cab with someone who had just had a pet sitting on their lap whilst visiting someone, for instance.

The crux here is that he BROKE the LAW.... if he was that allergic, then he should have done as Janey suggested... there should have been a risk assessment/procedure in place to keep him safe at work... and that procedure should have included what he needed to do in just such an instance. He didn't, he just arbitrarily refused, and left a vulnerable person stranded. So, I don't much care if he is allergic to animal hair, or just gets annoyed at pet hairs in his cab. He broke the law.

I know for a fact that Taxi firms have a procedure to deal with non-payers/abusive fares/drunks etc. This type of event should have been covered.

I am about to find out who he is, and which cab company he works for.

You see, my vulnerable parents and half their cronies live in Cardiff. My brother's BiL is registered blind. So I am conducting my own risk assessment.... and will recommend that they not use this company!

Love

Daff xxxx