An Australian war veteran has had a "humiliating" experience after he and his assistance dog were denied entry to a popular Perth restaurant.
Perth man David Pearce met his wife and her friend at Juicy Bao Bao, Northbridge, for lunch over the weekend.
He told 7News Australia staff ushered his wife and friend to a table, but they "moved to block us" when they spotted Gunner, his assistance dog.
"They said we don't allow dogs, and I said I understand but he's a service dog. You have to let us in."
Pearce, who served in the US Marine Corps, had got Gunner after his service, and he's been by his side for nine years.
"There were quite a few people in the restaurant and some people laughed ... It was humiliating, especially because it was in front of my wife and her friends."
It's illegal in Australia to discriminate against disabled people or those who use qualified assistance dogs.
He claimed Gunner had never been refused entry before, and notified the staff about the discriminatory policy, before leaving the restaurant so as to not cause a scene.
The ex-soldier, who served in the US Marine Corps and suffers from PTSD, said Gunner is essential to him.
"I could not function out in public without Gunner at all."
He's also had a traumatic brain injury from explosions while in Iraq, and Gunner has saved his life many times.
"I have what they call dissociative episodes, when I'm not aware of what I'm doing. He's trained to prevent me from wandering into traffic," he told 7News.
Juicy Bao Bao's management said it had apologised to Peace, offering a free meal too, which he said he might take up.
The restaurant has attracted a few negative reviews since local media first broke the story, but Pearce urged people to not be nasty.
"Since the restaurant has acknowledged, 'We were wrong', and service dogs will be welcome moving forward, I'd encourage people not to leave any unnecessary hate or reviews on the restaurant.
"People learn from positive experiences, let's make this positive."
According to Guide Dogs Australia, more than a third of guide dog handlers have been denied entry to public venues or transport due to the dog, in the year to April 2022.
