Burning Nest
Sign in

← Knowledge base · During the event · Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs: gate and on-site procedure

Anyone

What Gate does when a dog arrives, and how Rangers and Site Leads handle a breach of the dog handling policy.

For EOC, Gate, Rangers and Site Leads. Every dog at Nest needs a pre-approved Assistance Dog Ticket. Whatever happens, never ask about someone's disability, and never handle or restrain their dog yourself.

At the gate

The handler shows their Assistance Dog Ticket at the gate, alongside their own ticket.

A dog arrives without a ticket

The dog can't come in. The person may have a genuine need and simply not know about the process, so be kind about it. Sorting it out isn't Gate's job: that's for the Site Lead.

  1. Explain calmly All dogs need a pre-approved Assistance Dog Ticket. Talk about the ticket, never about their disability.
  2. Offer the options They can come in on their own ticket, but the dog has to stay off site.
  3. If it gets difficult, escalate Make them comfortable in Gate or Production and call the Site Lead straight away.
  4. The Site Lead decides They assess the situation and decide what happens next.

Breaches on site

If a Ranger or Site Lead sees the dog handling policy being broken, work through these steps in order. Remember this is a disabled person who relies on their dog. Log every interaction.

  1. Verbal reminder (Ranger or Site Lead) Approach calmly and privately. Name the specific problem and remind the handler of what they agreed to. Log it and tell the Site Lead.
  2. Formal warning (Accessibility Lead) If it carries on or happens again, the Accessibility Lead gives a formal warning and tells the handler that another breach could mean the dog leaving site.
  3. Dog leaves site If it carries on after the formal warning, the dog may have to leave. The handler's own ticket is still valid and they can stay.

When to skip straight to removal

  • The dog has bitten or attacked a person or an animal
  • The dog is upsetting livestock
  • The dog is in severe distress and the handler can't settle it
  • The handler is incapacitated and nobody is available to take responsibility for the dog

Under review: "severe distress". Many assistance dogs show distress-type behaviour on purpose, to alert their handler to a risk, and we may not know the dog's normal behaviour. Who takes responsibility for the dog if the handler is unconscious is also still open. Until this is settled, treat distress as a reason to call the Site Lead, not to act on your own.

Emergencies and continued aggression

  1. Call the council dog warden first For an emergency, or a dog that keeps behaving aggressively.
  2. If the dog warden isn't available, call 999
Something wrong or out of date? You can also select text on the page to quote it.

Last updated