Nothing takes the shine off a romantic date like having to explain your legal rights to dine out with your guide dogs as the whole restaurant watches on.
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It's an all too familiar hassle for Jo Weir and her partner Justin Simpson who need their seeing eye dogs Wiley and Yarrin to get around safely.
The couple, who share their time between Ms Weir's place in Yass and Mr Simpson's in Canberra, said feeling tolerated rather than welcomed in by a venue could be exhausting.
But they knew of people being refused rooms at hotels or motel and others being asked to pay additional fees to stay - both of which breach guide dog access laws.
Ms Weir said over the past 20 years as a handler she had become fairly good at "re-educating" people about the legal rights for guide dogs to be with their handlers in public spaces, but wished she didn't have to be.
"It can be quite embarrassing," she said. "People tend to stare, you have to stand up for yourself and explain your rights. I'm fortunate it doesn't put me off doing these things but it can. It does impact your confidence."
Despite these protections providing for visually impaired people to enjoy a meal, shop, or catch a taxi with their guide dog by their side, a third of ACT and NSW handlers reported being questioned or refused entry or service in a recent Guide Dogs survey.
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT regional manager Patrick Shaddock said in NSW police could issue fines of between $165 and $880 for breaching guide dog access laws.
Recent amendments made to the Discrimination Act in Canberra have clarified and modernised the definition of disability, in line with Commonwealth law, broadening protections to cover guide dogs and any sort of assistance animal.
A person who is refused access to a club, a shop, accommodation or a work place because they need an assistance animal can make a complaint to the Human Rights Commission and between 2015-16 three complaints regarding assistance animals were received.
"It is also a criminal offence under the Domestic Animals Act 2000 to refuse entry to or use of a public place, or to exclude or remove, a person accompanied by an assistance animal from a public place," a Justice and Community Safety directorate spokesman said.
ACT Domestic Animal Services Rangers who enforce these laws can issue a maximum penalties of $1500 for an individual or $7500 for a company.
Mr Shaddock said improving understanding of these rights, rather that policing them after the fact, was key to removing unnecessary barriers to visually impaired people's independence.
With the support of Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Mr Alastair McEwin, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has launched Taking the Lead, a campaign to do just that, in time with International Guide Dog Day on April 26.
Reminding sectors dealing with the public about these laws, public transport drivers, hospitality services and others, meant resistance and refusals could be avoided entirely.
"Anywhere the public can go, so can a guide dog," Mr Shaddock said.
"Really we don't want any special treatment for people with guide dogs, we want them to be treated as any other person."
