For many people with disabilities in Cyprus, acquiring a guide dog is not simply a choice — it is a fight. A fight for accessibility, recognition and dignity. In a country where disabled people still face significant barriers in public spaces, having a trained assistance dog beside you often triggers even more obstacles in an already difficult reality.
Restaurants ask owners to “leave the guide dog outside.” Public transport operators sometimes demand muzzles, despite European standards defining assistance dogs as “members of the team” of the disabled handler, entitled to unrestricted access. The gap is not just cultural, it's legal. The state has yet to introduce a framework for the training, certification and funding of assistance dogs.
During a recent meeting of the House Human Rights Committee, MPs stressed that the right to be accompanied by an assistance dog is a matter of independence and dignity. Yet Cyprus “remains behind.” Training abroad can cost up to €50,000 - a prohibitive amount that turns guide dogs into an unattainable dream for most people. Unsurprisingly, the number of certified assistance dogs in Cyprus can be counted on one hand.
Bruno, his source of freedom
Among the few is Giannis, whose social-media post seeking a restaurant that accepts dogs indoors went viral. The law - and the UN conventions Cyprus has signed - clearly states that guide dogs are allowed everywhere. But that does not mean the rule is followed.
Giannis, 44, lives in the Nicosia district. At 19, he began losing his sight due to a rare hereditary retinal condition. For years, the white cane became his extension, his symbol of adapting to blindness. “My family became my eyes. But the need for independence was always there.”
His life changed nine years ago while living in Germany, where guide-dog programmes operate within a structured, state-supported system. “It’s not an easy process,” he explains. “Even in Germany, with funding and clear standards, it takes months of joint training. You are trained together. The dog is not a pet - it’s a partner.”
That partner became Bruno, a black Labrador. “The first time we walked together in the city centre, it felt like discovering the world again. I felt free.”
No funding in Cyprus
Freedom, however, came at a cost: €18,000 for Bruno’s training and certification - a sum he could only afford because the German government subsidised 30%.
“What frustrates me is that in Cyprus there is no subsidy, no recognised school, no pathway,” he says. “If you can’t afford to bring a dog from abroad, you simply accept that you will never have one.”
Returning to Cyprus brought new battles. Despite Bruno’s high-level European certification, Giannis is repeatedly denied entry to cafés and restaurants, even when he explains the dog’s role.
“In other countries it’s obvious that a guide dog follows you everywhere. There were times I was stopped at the door and told to ‘leave him outside.’”
Yet Bruno guides him through every step of daily life: obstacles, stairs, chairs, doors. “On the street I feel safe - not pitied. But he also needs maintenance: special food, check-ups, refresher training. He’s a worker, not a pet.”
Iris - her medicine
If Giannis rediscovered freedom through Bruno, Maria rediscovered breathing through Iris.
Maria, 31, has lived in London since she was 18. Five years ago, a serious car accident changed her life. “The surgeries and physical recovery were one thing. But the psychological impact was enormous. Sounds frightened me. People exhausted me. I’d step outside and rush back within minutes. I lived in isolation.”
Diagnosed with post-traumatic anxiety disorder and panic attacks, she was advised by her psychiatrist to consider a psychiatric service dog - trained to detect panic symptoms and intervene. “At first it sounded impossible. A dog helping with anxiety? But when I met Iris, I understood.”
Iris, a calm golden retriever with soft golden fur, trained for six months at a specialist centre in Birmingham. The total cost - £10,000 - was fully covered by the UK government.
“In England, especially in London, using a dog for therapeutic support is common. When a psychiatrist recommends it, the health system may fund part or all of the training. It helps reduce reliance on medication,” she says.
A sense of stability
When Maria begins to show signs of anxiety, Iris gently taps her leg or licks her hand - a cue to focus on her breathing. If she slips into a panic episode, Iris presses her body firmly against her, providing grounding and stability. “She brings me back to the world. She’s not a pet - she’s my medicine.”
Maria dreams of returning to Cyprus to create a support network for people with visible and invisible disabilities who could benefit from service dogs.
Karolina Pelendritou and Liberty - a shared journey
“Would you ask someone in a wheelchair to come in without their wheelchair?”
That is how Paralympic champion Karolina Pelendritou describes the reality she faces with her guide dog, Liberty. “Telling a blind person to enter without their dog is the same thing. There are European laws Cyprus must learn and implement.”
She says lack of exposure is at the root of the problem. “People here haven’t seen enough disabled people in public. That’s why I get strange looks when I walk with Liberty. And it’s not rare for someone to make a scene at a restaurant, on public transport, or even at a bakery.”
One incident with a taxi in Athens was, she says, “just one of many” in her six-year partnership with Liberty. “The worst part is that the problem often disappears only when someone who knows me intervenes. As if they’re doing me a favour because I’m recognisable. But if it were someone else with the same disability and the same rights? They wouldn’t be allowed in.”
She has had similar experiences with airlines and hotels. “In Cyprus especially, very few hotels accept guide dogs.”
The journey to acquiring a guide dog, she stresses, is demanding. “You train the dog and yourself. You fight daily challenges - and on top of that, you have another exhausting fight: proving you have the right to your guide dog. Proving it’s not an ‘elephant.’”
“It is a right for people with visual - and other - disabilities to have a guide dog. And it is society’s obligation to understand why it’s essential. It’s not just financial or technical. It’s normal. If we want to call ourselves inclusive, words are not enough.”