‘I felt humiliated when Greggs staff told me to leave their store in Lutterworth for having a service dog’

Lisa Towers, who suffers from high anxiety and arthritis, visited her local Greggs in Leicester Road, along with her wellbeing assistance dog Casey who is trained to keep her calm.

Although she was served food, a member of staff told Lisa, who was using a mobility scooter, in front of customers she shouldn’t be in there because of her dog.

Lisa said the German Shepherd was wearing a pink vest at the time displaying her assistance dog status.

She said: “You just feel so humiliated. His manners were shocking. As I was choosing a cob, I was told ‘you’re not allowed in here’. I asked why and asked if I could just get something, and he repeated it and he said I wasn’t allowed and ‘nor is the dog’.

“I could feel people looking at me – not in a bad way, I think they felt sorry for me.

“It’s discrimination, I need my dog with me when I go out. I suffer from bad anxiety and bad arthritis and I do go into panic modes and I need her with me. If I say ‘Casey touch’, she’ll touch or nudge me with her nose.”

“Before Casey, I never used to go out of the house, but now that I have her, I go out every day as she needs a walk, but it knocks me back when this happens. It makes me wonder what I’m up against next and sets my anxiety off.”

Greggs says it welcomes customers with service and assistance dogs and added that this particular branch is operated by a franchise partner.

Greggs has contacted the franchise partner and asked for the matter to be investigated.