Restaurant Worker Gets Into Heated Argument With Customer Over Her Insistence To Eat In The Restaurant With Her Service Dogs

Rules are rules.

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• September 24, 2023

Service dogs unquestionably save lives, with many people using them to perform tasks they wouldn't ordinarily be able to.

These canines frequently assist persons with impairments with things like balance, mobility, and emotional support. Along with these, they can notify users of the presence of allergies, warn of the development of medical conditions like a seizure or low blood sugar, and perform other various tasks. 

Due to their importance, many locations permit the entrance of service dogs in locations where regular canines aren't allowed into. However, this has drawbacks, such as persons impersonating service dog owners.

To avoid getting tricked by these impersonators, many people often ask questions for assurance.

Unfortunately, some people may find these questions upsetting. Today’s original poster (OP) seems to have found one such person.

OP shared that she works in a restaurant with a standing rule of no pets allowed. So when one lady came in with her two pets to order, OP requested that she sit outdoors, as outdoor seating was available.

Given that she claimed that her dogs were service animals and that it was hot outside, the woman didn't appear to believe that this rule should apply to her. 

OP then tried to learn more by asking the woman what specific jobs the dogs were trained to do, but she refused to respond and opted to show OP her service dog badge instead. This didn’t change OP’s mind, and they stuck to the restaurant rule.

However, it didn’t stop them from wondering if they should have allowed the dogs in, so they asked the Reddit community for an AITA verdict.

Check it out below!

The story in detail

A little background

Here’s how the conversation went

For context

We gathered some reactions from the Reddit community:

“Don’t feel bad, you did your job and said exactly what you’re supposed to.“

“NTA. Any real service dog owner would easily be able to answer your questions.”

“NTA I've never heard of someone having two advice dogs working at the same time.“

“She wanted to bend the rules and hoped you were too inexperienced to counter her bluff.“

“If someone can’t answer those questions, they’re showing you they’re not a Service Dog handler.“

“NTA… As long as you were respectful i see no problem in the way you handled this.”

“NTA…You can easily buy fake vests, badges, and documentation online.”

NTA…You followed the ADA guideline, so you are fine.“

“NTA. My sister in law takes her dog everywhere and claims it’s a service dog.”

The comments section is riddled with support for the OP, and the reason is that they believe the woman shouldn’t have had any problem with the OP’s questions.

Some other Redditors believe the woman only impersonated a service dog owner and advised OP to stop wondering if they were the AH in this situation, given that their clear AH is the woman.

Do you agree with this verdict? Let us know in the comments below!

Jesse