'You think you're loan shark?' Hawkers hounded by woman for serving customer with guide dog

For the past year, hawkers at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh often served a visually impaired woman who was accompanied by her guide dog.

There was no issue up till last week. 

On June 23, an unhappy diner confronted the hawker running Poh Kee Chicken Rice at Block 206 Toa Payoh North after seeing her serve the visually impaired woman. 

The stallholders recounted the incident in a Facebook post on June 25. 

The diner claimed that the hawker had petted the guide dog and not washed her hands after.

Despite the hawker "nicely" telling the diner that this was untrue, the diner claimed that she did not see the hawker wash her hands.

"My wife then told her that she was seated so far from my stall, how could she have seen her washing [her hands] inside the stall. The lady maintained that she did not see it," the hawker's husband Michael Poh told AsiaOne. 

When Poh spoke with the diner, she said that dogs are not allowed in shops that sell food. 

Although he told her that the guide dog belonged to a visually impaired customer and that the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) allows guide dogs to accompany their owners into food establishments regardless if it's for takeaway or dining in. 

"But she remained unhappy and said she will make things difficult for me, because no matter what dog — dogs are dogs," he said. 

As Poh and his wife felt like they did not do anything wrong, they decided to not act on her complaint. 

The diner left the coffee shop but she continued to pester the stallholders about the issue.

Later that day, the diner returned to Poh's stall with a printout of a Google search result that read: "Are dogs allowed in Kopitiam?" 

As the stall was closed, she left the paper with another hawker who showed Poh the printout on the next day.

Two days later, the woman returned to the stall again while it was closed.

She entered the stall to paste a copy of the same printout on the counter. 

When he found out what the woman had done, Poh told AsiaOne he was "quite pissed off". 

Her actions were captured by the stall's surveillance camera and he decided to make a police report. 

"Who knows what [other] audacious things she will do in the future if I do not make a report. She may add poison [to my food] and in the end, my customers and I have to suffer," said Poh. 

"Please don't do this, anything that you are not happy with, you can take it out on me, and not do things like this. Pasting paper like this, you think you loan shark meh?" the stallholders wrote in their Facebook post. 

The police confirmed with AsiaOne that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

According to the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) regulations, the licensee of a food establishment or private market may permit any guide dog accompanying a blind or visually impaired person to be brought into the dining or refreshment area.

The guide dog has to be kept under proper control, restrained from straying or causing annoyance or nuisance to any person or animal, or damage to any property, and held in a leash.

ALSO READ: Internet divided over Paralympic swimmer posting video of dispute with F&B staff over guide dog

melissateo@asiaone.com

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