Guide dog coming for tour

BARBADOS WILL BE hosting a special guest this month in a move meant to be the first step in revolutionising the mindset of the country.

This guest will be Dylan, a guide dog, who will be part of a sensitisation tour.

Dylan will be arriving on Virgin Atlantic as a passenger, along with owner Danny Gleeson and trainer David Rankin, and will be staying at the Courtyard by Marriott as a guest.

During a Press conference yesterday at the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD), Harambee House, St Michael, BCD president Senator Kerryann Ifill said Barbados had already taken some initial steps to allow such service animals into the country so this was a way to keep pushing.

“Barbados ratified the Convention of Rights for Persons with Disabilities and among those are guarantees for persons who have these requirements so we have taken steps but we are now taking another step of bringing this into reality,” she said.

Animal control officer with the Ministry of Health, Curtis Thompson said Barbados’ current legislation disallowed animals from restaurants, hotels and anyplace which serves food but service animals were specially trained and were not supposed to be parted from their owners.

“We are hoping with this sensitisation tour that all the ministries involved will be moving towards amending our current Acts and regulations to facilitate this process,” he said. (CA)