A disabled woman from Abergavenny who is battling an incapacitating illness was asked to leave a local Waitrose store after the manager claimed her service dog was ‘bogus’.

Former nurse Ruth-Olivia Prosser who is 51, was escorted out of the packed supermarket in Llanfoist after a shopper complained that her support dog was not genuine.

Mrs Prosser, who suffers daily with little-known Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, relies on her dog Troy and a mobility scooter to go about her day to day business as the debilitating illness, with which was diagnosed aged 19, means she requires around-the-clock care not only from Troy but also from a team of medical professionals, and her husband.

Mrs Prosser has a carer who helps her out of bed each morning, and who also assists her with showering and other daily tasks.

“They also remind me to take all my medicines, as I can get brain fog,” she said. She regularly takes morphine and a cocktail of powerful drugs to help deal with the rare condition, which affects the body’s connective tissue.

Mrs Prosser said she was in Waitrose in Llanfoist, doing her shopping, when the manager, flanked by another shopper, asked her to remove her dog from the store as she didn’t have the correct licence.

She was then escorted out of the shop, which was packed with shoppers on a busy Saturday evening.

“I could have cried, but didn’t. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction,” said Mrs Prosser, who has refused to visit the store since the event on April 23.

Mrs Prosser initially brushed-off the incident, but decided to share her story now an awareness campaign for her illness is ongoing.

“I felt grossly embarrassed and so small. I just wanted the world to stop, so I could get off for a minute. I’m fed-up of being judged.

“It reminded me of when I was a child. The other kids would call me ‘slow coach’ because of my condition. I don’t want these labels. I live with this every day.

“I’d like for people to understand my condition, and not judge me. I’ve been judged since I was a little girl,” she said.

Service dogs in the UK are usually registered with Assistance Dogs UK, but as Mrs Prosser’s Boxer dog is trained by an independent body, the standard licence was not issued.

Assistance dogs are employed to help those in need with a variety of tasks. Some dogs are so highly-trained they can sense when a diabetic’s blood sugar is beginning to fall.

Mrs Prosser’s dog Troy alerts passers-by in the event of a fall, which is common given her condition.

“He keeps me safe. If I fall, he comes to me and alerts somebody. If I’m out and about he goes everywhere with me.”

A Waitrose spokesman said, “Assistance Dog UK owners are absolutely welcome in our branches.

“We have a duty of care to customers and children in the shop, and unfortunately the customer wasn’t able to provide the dog’s ADUK registration.

“We would welcome the customer and the dog if she can provide this and would be happy to discuss this with her.”

For more information on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, please visit ehlers-danlos.org