October 17, 2024, 7:53 p.m.

A bailiff who sued his employer after he was banned from bringing his “emotional support” dog to work has lost his disability discrimination claim.

Bailiff Deborah Cullingford had worked as a bailiff at Leeds County Court for over a decade before acquiring Bella in 2020.

A three-time cancer survivor and sufferer from anxiety, the bailiff, who collected debts in and around the city, began regularly taking her Yorkshire Terrier, Bella, with her to work.

She claimed the dog was a “reassuring and calming presence” in an otherwise stressful environment, quickly forming a strong bond with the dog.

However, the ban was later issued by her employer after Cullingford’s colleagues discovered that Bella was not, in fact, a guide dog.

The judge ruled that bosses had “legitimate concerns” about allowing a dog, which was not a trained guide dog, in the workplace.

Bailiff Deborah Cullingford said Bella gave her a sense of comfort, sharing with the court that Bella even stopped her from taking her own life.

She said the dog was “the reason she didn’t end her life when she was feeling depressed and could barely get through the day.”

In 2021, Ms Cullingford received a third cancer diagnosis and was placed on sick leave for around three months.

She returned to full function the following year, with the dog providing a feeling of “calm.”

“My dog ​​allows me to work more efficiently and concentrate more easily,” explained the bailiff.

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The hearing heard how the bailiff’s bosses consulted a lawyer about the matter following reports from colleagues.

They then highlighted the difference between a registered assistance dog and animals labeled “emotional support dogs” under the Equality Act 2010.

After imposing the ban, the judge heard that Ms Cullingford had left her job as a county court bailiff.

She also accused her employer of disability discrimination – which the judge later rejected.

Ms Cullingford then obtained a statement from a GP, who claimed the bailiff would “express his feelings” to Bella when he was anxious.

Legally, emotional support dogs have a much weaker right in the workplace than formal “service animals” such as guide dogs for the blind.

Animals that help the blind are protected under the Equality Act. However, employers have no legal obligation to allow emotional support dogs in the workplace.

Dismissing his application, Judge Rebecca Eeley acknowledged it had been “a very difficult and distressing time” for Cullingford.

They added that in some situations his bosses “failed to show the kind of care and compassion that the court might have expected to see in a case of this kind.”