Some people are so downright mean that it boggles our minds how anyone wants to talk to them. Case in point, redditor u/JamboD393 shared how they had to deal with an incredibly nasty woman, who accused them of having a ‘fake’ service dog.
Now, the first thing you need to know is that there are different types of service dogs. Guide dogs for people who are blind are probably the type that most of you reading this know. However, there are also seizure alert dogs, diabetes alert dogs, companion dogs, and even mobility assistance dogs.
The redditor had their seizure alert dog with them when they went to a local cafe for lunch. It was there that a woman kept harassing them and their pooch. Eventually, the situation escalated to the point that the dog owner turned to the AITA online community for their opinion on what happened. Read on for the full story.
Bored Panda has reached out to u/JamboD393 via Reddit, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from them.
There are different types of service dogs. However, not everyone is aware of this
Image source: Ralph (Ravi) Kayden (not the actual photo)
A person with epilepsy took their seizure alert dog to a cafe, but one of the customers accused them of ‘faking’ their condition
Image source: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image source: JamboD393
It’s a sad state of affairs that we live in a world where service dog owners have to defend and justify themselves for bringing their pets to places like cafes. And it’s not like a member of staff or a manager had a problem with the canine companion—it was one of the customers.
Things started off with the woman trying to distract the service dog. She then showed that she was oblivious to the existence of seizure alert dogs. Later on, she accused the dog owner of ‘faking’ their need for it so that they could “bring their pet everywhere.” Usually, the OP would brush situations like this off. However, this was the last straw, and they blew up, telling the woman to shut up. The manager then stepped in, got the nasty woman to sit down, and apologized to the redditor for what happened.
However, the OP still felt like they could have handled the situation better. This was what prompted them to ask the AITA subreddit for their advice. Most readers thought that they did nothing wrong and that they were justified in how they reacted.
According to the World Health Organization, there are around 50 million people with epilepsy worldwide. It’s one of the most common neurological diseases around the globe. Nearly 4/5 of people with epilepsy live in low and middle-income countries. Roughly 70% of all those suffering from epilepsy could live without seizures if they were diagnosed and treated properly.
The author of the post shared some more info about seizure alert dogs
Unfortunately, the reality is that in low-income countries, 3 out of every 4 people with epilepsy simply do not get the treatment that they need. Not only that, they also have to deal with discrimination.
In the United States alone, there were an estimated 3.4 million people with epilepsy in 2015. Around 150k new cases of the neurological disease are diagnosed in the country each year. Seizure alert dogs can help people with epilepsy live more independent lives. They can alert their owners of an imminent seizure ahead of time, giving them the opportunity to get to a safe place.
In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees individuals with disabilities the right to have their service dogs with them in public spaces, buildings, and facilities. Many other countries have passed similar laws.
The vast majority of readers were on the dog owner’s side. Here’s what they had to say about the cafe drama
All the stories about service dogs and abusing it would be resolved if there was some clear rules and permits. In my country only certified specialists are allowed to train service dogs and if you want your dog to be a service dog, you need to get it the certified training, otherwise the dog will not get a certification and may not be called a service dog.
I agree. There needs to be some kind of proper licensing, even for emotional service animals.
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Last time I saw a young woman with a service dog whose 'job' I couldn't see straight away, I asked her friendly (apologising for my curiosity), learned that it was a service dog for narcolepsy, we had a great chat, and I referred her to my company as our product might be able to be adapted to help people with narcolepsy. But mostly, I had a great chat with a lovely person. The hardest part was to sit on my hands and not to pet the dog...
All the stories about service dogs and abusing it would be resolved if there was some clear rules and permits. In my country only certified specialists are allowed to train service dogs and if you want your dog to be a service dog, you need to get it the certified training, otherwise the dog will not get a certification and may not be called a service dog.
I agree. There needs to be some kind of proper licensing, even for emotional service animals.
Load More Replies... Last time I saw a young woman with a service dog whose 'job' I couldn't see straight away, I asked her friendly (apologising for my curiosity), learned that it was a service dog for narcolepsy, we had a great chat, and I referred her to my company as our product might be able to be adapted to help people with narcolepsy. But mostly, I had a great chat with a lovely person. The hardest part was to sit on my hands and not to pet the dog...
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