Dragon’s Den entrepreneur is barking mad at shops and businesses that bar hearing dogs

She’s known for being a Dragon but entrepreneur Deborah Meaden is soft as a puppy when it comes to our canine friends.

The Dragon’s Den businesswoman is backing a Hearing Dogs for Deaf People campaign that demands businesses allow people to bring their assistance dogs onto their premises.

Meaden made the call after a recent survey by the charity found that 70% of deaf people with hearing dogs have been refused access to a business on the UK high street.

Respondents of the survey claimed that restaurants, shops and cafes were the worst offenders and reasons cited included concerns over hygiene or that a dog would cause a disruption.

The charity says businesses that refuse to allow access to people because they have an assistance dog are breaking the law under the Equality Act 2010.

“Being turned away from a shop or restaurant with a hearing dog can be a humiliating experience, so it is important that businesses are aware of their legal obligation to welcome disabled people with assistance dogs,” Meaden said.

“Highly-trained hearing dogs offer a lifeline to deaf people by alerting them to sounds they cannot hear, such as the fire alarm in a public building or a smoke alarm in the kitchen.

“These intelligent dogs give their owners the support and confidence needed to live an independent life, and are easily recognisable by the identifiable jacket and lead slip they wear in public places.”

A spokesperson for the charity added: “Hearing dogs go through a rigorous 18 month training programme in which they are trained to toilet on command, lie quietly on the floor in a restaurant or café, and taught not to wander freely around the premises.

“The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health states that assistance dogs are unlikely to present any risk.”

Hearing dogs are trained to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals such as fire alarms, doorbells and telephones.