Parent Tells Dog Owner To “Choke Out” Their Dog After Elevator Encounters With Child Keeps Going Wrong
In this story, a dog owner (OP) living in an apartment complex found themselves in the middle of unexpected drama after their large but gentle dog developed a strange habit: barking every time she saw one particular kid in the building.
OP explained that the dog wasn’t aggressive or threatening. Rather, the constant barking was just her being excited.
But that didn’t matter. The child would scream, wave his arms, and panic every time the elevator doors opened, which only made the dog more excitable.
OP tried to be responsible about it. They talked to the parents, hoping to arrange a calm introduction between the dog and the child outside the elevator so both could relax.
However, the parents weren’t interested. Instead, they demanded the dog be “controlled” and even suggested using cruel methods to stop the barking.
Despite OP trying to avoid them, they kept bumping into the family over and over again, and as usual, the dog would bark at the sight of the kid.
This got really frustrating, as OP kept getting yelled at and accused of being irresponsible. According to OP, it wasn’t like the dog was lunging or doing anything aggressive. All this drama stemmed from just one or two barks per meeting, which seemed impossible to prevent
Now, OP feels stuck. They’ve done everything they can to de-escalate, but it’s starting to feel like nothing will ever be good enough.
Should they keep avoiding the family completely or just accept that their dog might always bark a bit in passing?
Read the full Reddit story below to get details of how everything unfolded.
Let’s dig into the details
OP’s dog has a habit of barking each time it sees on particular kid in the elevator
The parents of the child have warned OP to control their dog
OP has decided to avoid them completely by using the elevator when they’re not around.
Unfortunately, they still end up bumping into each other, and as usual, the dog barks
We gathered some reactions from the Reddit community
“NTA sometimes your dog is going to bark. In my opinion, you're not letting your dog bark.”
“NTA. Dogs bark sometimes and especially when excited.”
“Quiet and control your dog. Don't inconvenience others with your big dog. YTA.”
“If you just didn't care, it would be different, but you have put enough effort into resolving the situation.”
“Yes you are for sure the AH and depending on the age of the kid you might be giving them some real trauma.”
“Imagine being a small kid and having a large powerful dog bark at you when you are trapped inside an elevator.”
The Reddit community is split on this one. While the majority have commended their efforts at de-escalating the issue, a good number of people feel that the parents have every right to speak against anything that scares their child.
One particular Reddit insisted that it’s not unusual for a child to be terrified of a large barking dog. Others even pressed further by saying that this could be traumatic for the child.
We can’t say that OP hasn’t made efforts to stop these barks, but it would be great to have the parents consider having another chat to see if they can all find a lasting solution.
We’d love to get your thoughts on this story. Tell us how you would have handled this if you were in OP’s shoes.
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