AN incident in which a local woman with a guide dog was mistakenly asked to move from the restaurant to the bar area during a shift changeover in an Abergavenny pub has prompted a reconciliatory gesture from the establishment’s owner.

And now Raj Neupane, proprietor of restaurant Regency 59 at the King’s Head on Cross Street, has underlined the establishment’s commitment to welcoming assistance dogs by inviting local guide dog owner, Adrian Tobin and his dog, Magic, a three-year-old black labrador retriever, to accept a donation to the organisation.

Raj told the Chronicle, ‘Guide dogs are welcome in both sides of our establishment - the bar and the restaurant. Dogs who are not guide dogs are still welcome, but in the bar area only. In fact we make sure there are bowls of water placed for dogs.

Deborah Rees, of Guide Dogs Cymru stated, ‘There are extremely rare examples of where it may be inappropriate but, as a general rule, if members of the public are allowed access to a place or a service, then so is an assistance dog.’

The Abergavenny woman had gone into the restaurant for lunch with a small party but had allegedly been told to leave the restaurant area for the bar area by a member of staff.

Raj, who has lived in Abergavenny for thirteen years and run Regency 59 for the last three said, ‘Our staff are all aware that we have an obligation to welcome guide dogs in our premises we ensure that this rule is obeyed.’

Adrian accepted a cheque for £101 from Raj for Guide Dogs UK and told the Chronicle, ‘Magic has changed my world; we go everywhere together, assistance dogs do so much to allow people with sight problems to lead a normal life.’