Guide Dog Access Rights: What Businesses and the Public Should Know

September marks Guide Dog Awareness Month, a time to recognize the essential role guide dogs play in supporting independence for people who are blind or partially sighted. Beyond their visible role as skilled navigators, guide dogs are legally recognized service animals, which means they are granted public access rights that businesses and community members need to understand and respect.

In Canada and the United States, people using guide dogs have the legal right to enter public spaces and businesses, including restaurants, hotels, taxis, stores, and public transit. These rights are protected by human rights and disability laws, which prohibit discrimination based on disability. Refusing entry to someone because they are accompanied by a guide dog is not only unfair but also unlawful.

Unfortunately, there is no single national agency in either Canada or the U.S. that regulates or certifies all service dogs. This has led to a rise in people designating their pets—sometimes as “emotional support animals” and sometimes wrongly calling them service dogs—in order to bring them into places where pets aren’t normally allowed. While emotional support animals have an important role in certain contexts, they do not have the same public access rights as trained service animals. This confusion creates challenges for businesses and, more importantly, puts people who rely on professionally trained guide dogs at risk of facing increased skepticism or barriers.

One of the most common misunderstandings is around health and safety regulations. While food service establishments must meet strict hygiene standards, guide dogs are explicitly permitted in these spaces. They are highly trained to remain calm and unobtrusive in public environments, which makes them very different from pets. Business owners and staff should never ask a guide dog user to leave because of concerns about food safety, allergies, or the presence of animals.

Members of the public also play a part in ensuring access rights are respected. Interfering with a working guide dog, by petting, calling to, or distracting them, can compromise the safety of the handler. Additionally, members of the public can also do their part by leaving pets at home, which helps reduce confusion and ensures that trained service dogs are recognized and respected. Similarly, assumptions such as “no dogs allowed” can lead to uncomfortable encounters if people are not aware of the exceptions for service animals. Respecting both the dog and its handler helps create more inclusive and welcoming communities.

For businesses, the best practice is straightforward: treat guide dog teams as you would any other customer. If you are unsure whether an animal is a guide dog, you may politely ask if it is a service animal, but you cannot demand special identification papers in most jurisdictions. Training staff on these basics can prevent misunderstandings and ensure compliance with the law.

Guide Dog Awareness Month is a reminder that equal access is not simply a legal obligation—it is about dignity, independence, and respect. By understanding the rights of guide dog users and supporting them in public spaces, businesses and individuals help remove barriers and create a safer, more accessible society for all.