An equality watchdog has said a recent change to Wetherspoons’ dog policy could be against the law – but the popular pub chain has insisted their stance is reasonable
A Wetherspoons dog policy could be breaking the law, an equality watchdog has said.
The pub chain has a ban on dogs with an exception to assistance dogs, which can help people with certain disabilities. JD Wetherspoon locations currently require people to show photo ID, from a charity called Assistance Dogs UK, for the assistance dogs – the policy states customers who don’t follow the rule can be refused service.
The pub chain has had a dog ban in place for several years but only introduced the photo ID rule in May 2025. Wetherspoons said it believed the policy was lawful and reasonable but the Equality and Human Rights Commission said it might not comply with UK law.
JD Wetherspoon said it introduced the new policy after seeing a rise in the number of people trying to get into their pubs with dogs by allegedly using ID cards and jackets that can be bought online. The company said it sought legal advice on the change and believed it was legal.
This comes after the EHRC said it has received several complaints from disabled people about the new policy and told the chain it might not be lawful.
Megan Stephenson, who is visually-impaired, told the BBC she felt humiliated when three Wetherspoons pubs asked her for her assistances dog’s ID – she has a ADUK ID card. The furious customer said she felt discriminated against and will no longer visit Wetherspoons locations.
She said: “The staff stopped me as I walked in and were like ‘we need to see your dog’s ID’. Bobby was in harness, had the flash in her lead, was very obviously a guide dog, but they wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t have an ID for her.
“Fortunately, on this occasion, I did actually have it with me so they thankfully let us in. But I was still stopped, still singled out, still treated differently. I just felt so sick, so stressed.”
The charity Guide Dogs has reportedly received 27 complaints from people being challenged or refused entry at these pubs.
Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling, who is registered blind, revealed that he was also asked to produce an ID for his assistance dog in August.
Darling said he understood the chain was trying to solve the issue of badly behaved dogs but said this policy could impact people with other disabilities, like PTSD. The MP said: “Why tarnish all assistance dog users with that brush?”
The Equality Act 2010 says service providers must make “a reasonable adjustment” to accommodate the needs of disabled people but there is no explicit line in the law that says venues must allow assistance dogs, making the the act vague on this point.
JD Wetherspoon said: “We consider the requirement for assistance dogs to have accredited training from ADUK member organisations to be a reasonable adjustment to our policy, as required by the relevant legislation.
“Our pubs are large and very busy. Bearing in mind the significant increase in dog bites and hospitalisations, common sense indicates a clear need for documentary proof of training in our pubs.”
