A dispute over an assistance dog has kick-started a desire to make them acceptable in cafes, bars and restaurants throughout Wellington. 

Jeremy Mansfield was spending some quality with his son Baxter at The Malt House, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Development Delay, when they were informed they were not allowed to bring Baxter's assistance dog, Lacey, into the bar. 

Baxter requires an assistance dog to help keep him calm and get through certain situations. 

Baxter's mother Ngarie Mansfield said the issue attracted plenty of attention on social media, but they've received a lot of positive feedback. 

She said they're advocating for their son and want to make a difference. 

The Malt House owner Colin Mallon said he wants to turn this negative situation into something good by increasing awareness and acceptance of assistance dogs in public places. 

He said they want to apologise for what happened and take it as an opportunity to learn. 

Mr Mallon said they will be incorporating this into their training in the future and have held discussions with Hospitality New Zealand to increase the awareness around assistance dogs in hospitality circles.