Interacting with service animals requires awareness and respect, balancing admiration with their important roles.
OP was in a pet store buying cat food when they saw a woman with an excited dog wearing a hoodie. OP smiled, complimented the dog, and held out their hand. The woman scowled, yanked the dog away, and said it was a service animal, showing its collar. OP apologized profusely, but the woman snapped, saying OP should know better than to try to pet service dogs. She walked away, looking disgusted, while OP felt terrible and almost cried. OP didn’t touch the dog and always asks for permission first. OP feels bad and wonders if the woman was unreasonable. OP tells in edit that he didn’t pet the dog, just held out their hand. The dog approached OP excitedly to sniff. OP always speaks to the owner first.
Scroll down below to read the story in OP’s own words.
1. OP wonders if they were wrong for greeting a service dog not knowing it was one.
2. OP, while buying cat food, saw an excited dog and told the owner, “He’s so handsome,” while holding out their hand.
3. The dog wore a hoodie. The owner scowled at OP, yanked the dog away, and revealed a service dog collar.
4. OP felt terrible, apologized profusely, but the owner looked disgusted and pulled the still-excited dog away.
5. She snapped at OP, saying they should know better than to pet service dogs. OP apologized again, felt awful, and almost cried.
6. OP isn’t sure if the woman was unreasonable. The dog’s behavior and unclear sign caused doubts. OP seeks Reddit’s opinion on whether they were wrong.
7. OP never petted the dog. The excited dog approached to sniff, and OP held out their hand, not touching the dog without permission.
8. OP spoke to the owner first, not kneeling or baby talking to the dog, and didn’t know he was a service dog at the time.
Now that you have read the story, it’s time for you to see what Redditors had to say about this. Read till the end to see what are other people’s opinions on this. Don’t forget to share your own opinion at the end of this article.
9. You didn’t realize the dog was a service animal, and you approached the owner respectfully. Her reaction was disproportionate and harsh.
10. You complimented the dog respectfully and didn’t attempt to touch him without permission. The owner’s anger seems excessive given the circumstances.
11. Her reaction was harsh and didn’t consider your genuine mistake.
12. Fake collar alert.
13. This Redditors claims OP should have took permission before petting him.
14. The owner should not be disguising the dog as such.
15. You spoke to the owner first and didn’t realize the dog was a service animal. Her reaction was uncalled for, given your respectful approach.
16. Service dogs are different and the wise know the difference.
17. The owner expected OP to have a super vision, tbh.
18. It’s understandable you didn’t recognize the dog as a service animal, you are a human.
19. Service dog handler gives good insight about the situation.
20. She cannot expect everybody to magically know.
What are your thoughts on this story? What would you do, or how would you react if you were in OP’s position? You know that your feedback means a lot to us; therefore, we want you to share your thoughts in the comment section below. For more such articles, keep visiting our website. Have a nice day!
