A 57-year-old man has been banned from his favourite pub for dining with his three pet ferrets.
Watch the man who has been banned from his favourite pub
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Former soldier Tim Pender, from Mousehole, Cornwall, and his three pet ferrets – Joy, Grace, and Jason – used to regularly dine in the Old Coastguard.
Tim, who is agoraphobic, said he takes his pet ferrets everywhere as he needs them to give him a company.
But after being banned from the pub, Tim is shocked, upset and physically sick. He said they never cause any problem as they always sit either on a lead or on his knee.
Tim said: “It was a big shock and I felt physically sick when the manager, Louis, followed me outside and told me not to come back with my ferrets anymore.”
“They are my companions. I suffer from a form of agoraphobia and having these wonderful little creatures with me gives me the courage to leave the front door every day.”
“It feels like I’ve been discriminated against – I felt sick, shocked and upset.”
However, the manager named Louis Vanhinsbergh said that after getting so many complaints about their “pungent” smell, they were forced to take action.
The manager also said that they tried to deal with the matter sympathetically but Tim started being rude to the staff.
He said: “We had been receiving complaints for a good few months – people were asking to move tables and some were not willing to even eat here anymore because of the pungent smell of the ferrets.”
“They had also escaped off the lead in the garden which is a health and hygiene issue. Plus, we allow dogs, and ferrets and dogs don’t get along that well.”
Tim now regularly visits the King’s Arms in the neighbouring village of Paul with his pet ferrets.
He said: “They give me love and companionship like any other pet. I don’t know what I would do without them. My ferrets have been the only therapy that has worked for me. They give me the courage to come out and overcome all my problems.”
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