Reddit User Accidentally Ignites Firestorm After Petting A Stranger's Emotional Support Dog

"She worked herself up so much that she started crying and told me that I wasn't treating her like a human being."

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• May 25, 2023

You know, life has a way of catching you off guard with unexpected lessons, and this story is one such lesson delivered in the most peculiar way.

It was one of those bizarre days where routine had given way to change — our narrator (Original Poster) was forced to abandon their comfortable home office due to a pesky internet outage.

What lay ahead was an unexpected journey involving a public bus, an incredibly charming golden retriever, and a contentious encounter with its owner that left OP stunned.

OP has always been a dog lover; these creatures invoke an indomitable joy in them, akin to the bright and innocent glee of a child seeing a rainbow for the first time. OP's encounter with a beautiful golden retriever on the bus started innocently — a playful nuzzle, a wag of the tail, and an outstretched hand.

Little did they know that their gesture of kindness would trigger an emotional explosion from the dog's owner, an outcry that left them questioning how to interact with dogs, especially those with a unique, critical role to play in their owners' lives.

Was it a simple act of love towards this furry critter or an uncalled-for intrusion into someone else's emotional comfort zone?

Scroll down to find out the full details of this intriguing story.

The story in detail

OP decided to pet a stranger's emotional support dog in a bus after the furrball came to them, and now the owner is having a meltdown

Even after two apologies, the woman kept bashing OP, and even started crying. OP had no other option than to get down from the bus

The post garnered 4.2k upvotes and almost 2k comments. Let's take a look at what the Reddit community had to say about this:

"The owner wasn’t the AH at first, but most definitely became one after goading you to the degree that you had to leave the bus."

"ESH...She needs to learn what sit stay and heel mean...You because you shouldn't be petting anyone's dog without permission."

"I think the person needs more emotional support than what the dog can provide."

"It is more polite to ask but i dont see anything wrong with what you wrote."

"NTA - If you had gone over to the dog, I'd say it was your fault"

"The woman is the a**hole in this story, getting upset when they themselves aren’t even watching and letting it randomly approach people"

"If the owner doesn’t want people petting their dog it’s their responsibility to keep their dog from approaching people."

"Best thing you did was apologize although she’s allowing her dog to interact with people and then getting upset about it"

In a society brimming with unseen boundaries and undisclosed signs, OP's encounter is a stark reminder of the friction we may encounter in our daily interactions with other people.

OP's well-intentioned gesture towards the golden retriever had unforeseen consequences, leaving them riddled with guilt and self-doubt. However, they can draw strength from the fact that most of the Reddit community is on their side.

We'd love to get your thoughts on this story. Do you think it was wrong for OP to pet someone's emotional support dog without permission, even tho it approached them first, or do you think the owner overreacted?

Jesse