I am creating this petition after I and a number of other assistance dog handlers from Shropshire are asking the head of our local shopping center to put up some educational signage about assistance dogs asking people to not touch them.

Our dogs in question are trained to be in shops, restaurants and malls so the dogs are not the issue. It is the effect it has on us as handlers that these individuals that touch our dogs, abuse us physically and verbally when told not to touch the dogs which is the issue. We have reported this on numerous occasions but without video proof, and nothing has been done.

We should still feel safe entering a place with our dogs without being accosted. Yet the head of the mall says that it is not his issue that customers are touching our dogs and it's our responsibility. We have tried to educate people on social media and in-person but signage would be a huge help to our disabled community. The disabled community deserves to feel safe when out in public, with no fear of being approached by people who do not ask for consent when playing with our assistance dogs.

The head of the shopping center says that it doesn't matter if people touch our dogs and it is our responsibility to make sure our dogs are trained to accept this. This is akin to saying that customers are allowed to take people's other auxiliary aids like wheelchairs and walking sticks.

Our dogs are our medical equipment and the more people touch our dogs the more medical issues we are having which is having a detrimental effect on mental and physical wellbeing. 

Please sign this petition so we can bring it to the head of Telford Centre to show your support, so we can go out and be able to live our lives in peace.