A BLIND woman was forced to leave an Asda store by security guards who wouldn’t allow her guide dog inside the supermarket.
Louise Cannon, 34, says she “died inside” when she was told to exit the shop with her German Shepherd Harmony.
She arrived at her local Asda in Liverpool with her 12-year-old niece ready to do her weekly shop.
But her errand was thwarted by staff who informed her dogs were banned from the building, as shoppers looked on in shock.
Louise – who is a charity worker – tried to reason with the guard, telling him her furry companion was a guide dog and that she was registered blind.
However, the employee refused to accept her argument – and told her to leave.
Last night, Asda issued a grovelling apology for the “unacceptable” incident.
“I asked him what he’d said and he told me, ‘No dogs allowed, go outside.’
“I told him, ‘She’s a guide dog,’ but he said it again: ‘No dogs allowed, go outside.’
“I told him that it was against the law to stop me coming in with Harmony but he continued to tell me to leave.
”Angry customers swore at the security guard as Louise stood “dying inside with embarrassment
”Louise – who says she doesn’t “look blind” – asked to speak to the manager, who subsequently apologised to her and let her continue with her weekly shop.
She said: “Usually I’m so confident and I deal with lots of situations but this has really thrown me.
“I won’t go in there again because I won’t be able to see if it’s the same security guard who made me feel so vulnerable.
“That’s a massive part of my independence gone – and I’ve worked so hard for that.
“Security guards are supposed to protect you – not intimidate you.
”A spokesperson for Asda said: “We are genuinely sorry for how the security guard on duty in our store treated this customer, it was not acceptable.
“The colleague isn’t originally from the UK and wasn’t familiar with guide dogs being allowed inside shops.
“He has now been retrained.”
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