When is a guide dog not a guide dog?

Six-year-old Twig proved a bone of contention when John Burn booked into a “pet friendly” hotel in Huddersfield.

Mr Burn, 58, of South Shields, was looking after his 91-year-old mother’s guide dog after she was admitted to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary with a broken hip sustained in a fall during a car journey from the North East to Manchester.

After spending time with his mum at hospital, Mr Burn completed the journey with Twig to be best man at a wedding. Returning to Huddersfield, he decided to book into a hotel until his mother could be transferred to a hospital near her home.

An internet search for pet-friendly hotels revealed the three-star Cambridge Hotel at Clare Hill. But when Mr Burn arrived there, he was told pets weren’t allowed. Mr Burn said he explained that Twig was a guide dog belonging to his mother, but claimed he was treated with suspicion by staff who did not believe him and at one stage thought he was pretending to be blind to get the dog in.

He was allowed to stay with the dog, but said he was left feeling uncomfortable by the experience. He later moved to another hotel where Twig was made welcome.

Mr Burn said: “I went on the internet and typed in ‘pet friendly hotels – Huddersfield’. About the sixth site listed was booking.com, which I generally use. It listed 10 on the first page and the Cambridge Hotel came up.

“It looked superb. I got there with the dog, but they said pets weren’t allowed. Every time I walked past reception they said pets were not allowed. I felt uncomfortable staying there.”

Hotel manager Imran Bullah said a colleague had asked Mr Burn if Twig was a guide dog and whether he had a disability. He was told there was a “no pets” policy, but was allowed to stay because he was clearly upset.

Mr Bullah said: “He was under the impression that we cannot refuse a guide dog and if someone is registered blind, we can’t. If they are not, we can.”

Mr Bullah said the hotel had been wrongly listed as pet-friendly, adding: “It’s the first time in 10 years since we have been online that we have had this issue.”

A spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind said legal rights rested with the owner, rather than the dog. “We would like to think that the hotel is willing to help in this situation, but they are not legally forced to do so.”