Last reviewed: October 2023

Do employers need to let employees bring guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals to work?

Guide dogs and assistance animals

In the UK, disabled people are protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010. This requires businesses to make changes to support disabled employees and customers. Similar legislation exists in other countries.

The Equality Act requires organisations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and customers. What is reasonable depends on the situation, but it will almost always be reasonable to allow guide dogs and assistance animals.

Generally, guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed into most settings. There must be an overwhelmingly strong reason to deny access to someone with a guide dog. For example, people with guide dogs can be denied entry to some controlled areas of a hospital, or to a taxi if the driver has a medical exemption certificate because of a severe allergy.

To be allowed access, the animal must be quiet, well-behaved and not cause disruption. If the animal is clearly not behaving as it should, organisations can have a stronger case for refusing access. However, as all guide dogs and most assistance animals have had rigorous training, this is not likely to be an issue.

Should businesses allow emotional support animals?

Our Advice Service regularly receives questions about emotional support animals (ESAs) of all sorts – including cats, peacocks and even miniature horses. If you are unsure what to do, contact our Advice Service.

It is less clear when businesses should allow ESAs.

Generally, it will be hard to justify refusing entry to an ESA if the organisation allows assistance animals. However, the same provisions apply – the animal must be quiet, well-behaved and cause no disruption. You may be able reasonably to ask that the animal receive training on specific areas of behaviour, such as toilet training, settling and scavenging for food, before allowing it into the premises.

For example, consider the likelihood of the animal toileting in the premises. Some animals such as dogs and pigs can be toilet trained, while others – such as guinea pigs and miniature horses – cannot.

Also consider how the animal would interact with other assistance animals or guide dogs. For example, if the ESA is a dog – is it trained not to bother other dogs? It would be unacceptable for an ESA to disrupt another person’s guide dog, for example.

Deciding what’s ‘reasonable’

Allowing entry to disabled people with guide dogs, assistance animals and ESAs is a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act. Organisations must know how to work out what is ‘reasonable’ in their circumstances.

It is generally not lawful to refuse entry to guide dogs and well-trained assistance animals.

The decision-making process is less clear for emotional support animals (ESAs) as they are less common and can be any species of animal.

When deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable, organisations must consider the following factors:

• Cost
• Practicality
• Effectiveness
• Disruption
• Health and safety
• External sources of help.

Businesses must consider all these factors together when deciding what is reasonable. Our resource ‘Assistance animals – Deciding what’s reasonable‘ has more information.

How to support disabled employees with guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals

Employers may be required to take steps to ensure that the guide dog, assistance animal or ESA can do its job properly at work, such as:

• Allowing the employee time off to train the animal, if they are an existing employee getting a new guide dog or assistance animal. While all guide dogs and most assistance animals will have received extensive formal training, part of that will involve the new owner taking time off work to train the dog themselves. Guide Dogs recommends at least three weeks away from work, for example.
• Allowing the employee to put bowls of water down for their animal in an appropriate place.
• Identifying an appropriate place for the animal to stay while at work. This should be close to the employee’s workstation. However, if there are safety concerns (for example, industrial machinery), work with the owner and an appropriate expert organisation to agree somewhere else for the animal to stay while at work.
• Allowing the employee to take the dog out to go to the toilet at regular intervals. The frequency of these breaks will vary depending on the animal. Employers should agree how the employee should dispose of the animal’s waste.
• Training the employee’s colleagues on how to interact with the animal. It is vital that the animal is allowed to do its job without interference or disruption. Many people will want to pet or feed the animal, and so it must be made clear what is and is not allowed. Generally, assistance animals should be ignored.
• Moving food bins and staff food from areas where it could be found by the animals. Proper training includes not scavenging, however it will be helpful to remove the temptation of nearby food so that the animal is not distracted.

Supporting employees with assistance animals – five top tips

1. Employers must make reasonable adjustments to support employees who need guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals.
2. In most workplaces it will be reasonable for employers to let an employee bring in their guide dog or assistance animal – as long as the animal is quiet, well-behaved and not disruptive, and the workplace is a safe environment for the animal.
3. Emotional support animals are likely to be reasonable if guide dogs and assistance animals are – but if it is an unusual type of animal (not a dog), consider its impact in the workplace before permitting it.
4. Work with the disabled employee’s colleagues so that they are not disrupted by the presence of an animal in the workplace. Cultural or religious objections to certain animals are not usually enough to justify refusing entry to the animal, but there might be people with allergies or other disabilities who need to be accommodated as well. There is likely to be a solution that will work for everyone.
5. Most adjustments to allow guide dogs and assistance animals into the workplace are relatively cheap and simple – for example, putting out a bowl of water and making a space by the employee’s workstation for the animal to sit.

For guidance about guide dogs, assistance animals, ESAs and your organisation, contact our Advice Service.

Further information

Assistance Dogs UK

See Assistance Dogs UK’s range of Quick Guides and Resources for more information.

Business Disability Forum

Contact our Advice Service for guidance about specific situations.

This page is part of a series of resources on guide dogs, assistance animals and ESAs:

• What are guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals?
• Assistance animals – Deciding what’s reasonable
• Welcoming customers with guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals
• Welcoming guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals to events and meetings.

© This resource and the information therein are subject to copyright and remain the property of the Business Disability Forum. They are for reference only and must not be copied or distributed without prior permission.

If you require this resource in a different format, contact enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.