Selfish commuters leave blind man in tears as he tries to keep guide dog safe

We may complain about having to tackle rush hour, but a blind man was left in tears when he was refused a seat in the disabled section while travelling with his guide dog.

By Zoë Monk , 10 Feb 2020

Amit Patel had to give up his career as a doctor when five years ago he became blind after suffering a haemorrhage. His guide dog Kika has since become his lifeline.

I can't believe @BlindDad_Uk's actually written a book & look who made the front cover!

It's called 'Kika & Me' & it's available to pre-order now: https://t.co/4OpAZ2Cylt

Publication is on 20th February 2020 by @panmacmillan - I'm so excited for you to read it! #KikaAndMe pic.twitter.com/aKCvtKSWlk
— Kika 🇬🇧 (@Kika_GuideDog) October 28, 2019

Amit was travelling to Waterloo East on a busy Southeastern train with his Labrador guide dog Kika. When Amit boarded the train, he asked Kika to find a seat. Usually, Kika can find a free seat, or someone gives up their seat. But not this time.

Find out all you need to know about the Labrador breed!

No seats

Despite there being a designated disabled section, passengers refused to give up their seat to Amit. This meant Amit had to stand against the doors for the 25-minute journey. As he couldn't find a pole to hold onto, he nearly fell several times.

Hardworking dog

The journey wasn't easy for Kika either.

Dad had to stand with his back against the doors whilst trying not to slip & I was sliding all over the place as the floor was wet. Have some humanity people! @GuidedogsLondon @GuidedogsLondon @Se_Railway @transportforall pic.twitter.com/aXZ8wQbFi2
— Kika 🇬🇧 (@Kika_GuideDog) March 27, 2018

As the floor was too wet for her to lie down, she was forced to balance on her back paws and her tail was trodden on a few times.

"People don't realise how hard Kika has to work…if she can't concentrate because she can't lie down, then she can't keep me safe,” Amit told The Evening Standard.

After Amit tweeted about his ordeal, the train company apologised and said they will be rolling out clearer priority seat signage.

Zoë Monk

Zoë Monk is a freelance content writer from Dorset. After graduating with a degree in Journalism, she worked in marketing and PR before becoming a Mum and embarking on a freelance career. One of Zoë’s favourite things about freelancing is being able to work at home with her beloved tortoiseshell cat Bobby close by.