Extremely unprofessional behaviour from building staff
I had an unpleasant experience on 17 September 2025, at around 10.30am outside this building, near Moorfields Eye Hospital. A man who said his name was Owen, and who I believe works in reception or security, left his post and followed me as I walked past with my dog. He approached me because my dog urinated on the public pavement.
Owen repeatedly told me that dogs are not allowed to urinate in public and claimed I was breaching some sort of legal requirement. When I asked what a dog toilet was, he said it was whatever I thought was suitable. He also told me that dogs were not welcome in the building, even though I never attempted to enter. There was no signage to support anything he said, and at no point did he refer to an official policy.
What I found most concerning was that he followed me from outside the building all the way to the traffic lights by the hospital. It felt intrusive, unnecessary, and frankly harassing. I am fully aware of my legal duty to clean up after my dog, but there is no legal requirement to remove urine from public pavements, and Owen could not provide any reasonable explanation for what he expected me to do.
It was inappropriate for a staff member to leave his position to confront a member of the public in this way, especially over something that occurred on a public footpath. His attitude was patronising and made me feel uncomfortable, and his behaviour did not reflect the standards I would expect from someone working at a Grade II listed building.
I would strongly advise the building management to review how staff interact with the public, particularly in cases where they have no actual authority. If there is a policy about dogs in the area, it should be clearly displayed with appropriate signage. Otherwise, staff should not be leaving their desk to police the street.