A young man recently took to Reddit to explain a difficult situation involving his service dog and an entitled woman who demanded he let her daughter pet his dog. Here’s what he had to say.
The Man Is Autistic
“I’m autistic and really don’t handle confrontation well,” he says.
The young man was going into the city one day, and alongside him was his border collie called Storm.
Storm Is In The Final Stages Of His Training
Storm, a psychiatric assistance dog in the final stages of training, was progressing well. However, the young man and his trainer believed it was important for Storm to gain exposure to various sounds, sights, and environments. To accomplish this, they focused on training Storm to navigate buildings, board planes, and ride trains.
Whilst In Training No One Could Touch Him
To ensure the success of Storm’s training, it was crucial that people refrained from touching or interacting with him while he was in public. To address this, the trainer had prepared passes and a letter that could be shown to individuals who expressed interest in interacting with the dog. These documents served as a reminder of Storm’s training status and the importance of maintaining boundaries during his outings.
He Had a Letter
So on this day, the man showed the letter to the security guard on the train, who then kindly sat near them the entire time.
Storm was doing great and laid under the man’s legs which he had been trained to do.
A Woman Came Onboard
At the first stop, a woman and her daughter also boarded. The journey was going just fine, but then the little girl suddenly noticed Storm.
She said to her mom, “that man has a dog. Can I pat it”?
The Girl Approached Him
The man couldn’t really make out what the mom said, but the little girl came over anyway and asked if she could pat the dog.
He Said No
The man shook his head in a friendly manner and said no. “Sorry, he’s currently training to be an assistance dog, and it’s very important that no one interferes with him,” he told the girl.
The Girl’s Mother Got Angry
The girl’s mother called her daughter back, gave the man a stern look, and said, “unfortunately, some people don’t know how to share.”
Storm Comforted His Owner
The man didn’t react, but Storm was trained to sense his anxiety and so got up to comfort his owner. The man rewarded his dog for taking care of him, so he gave Storm a treat.
The Woman Then Told Him Off
The situation then escalated as the woman walked up to the man and said, “you should be teaching him to interact with children, my daughter just wanted to give him a pat, and you rewarding him for ignoring her is just plain rude.”
The Man Explained the Situation
The man explained the circumstances and that he was rewarding Storm for doing his job, not for ignoring the little girl. He then gave Storm another treat, but the woman grabbed it out of his hand, gave it to the dog, and said, “good boy.”
This was too much for the man. “Get away from me!” he screamed and began crying.
The Police Arrived
The guard must have called the police because when the train stopped at the next station, police officers boarded the train and moved the woman and her daughter to the next carriage.
However, this was not the end of it.
The Girl Still Didn’t Learn Her Lesson
As the train approached the city, the little girl reappeared and tried to pat Storm. Not only that, but she tried to grab the dog’s leash, shouting that her mother had said that she could. The man told the girl, “I told you no,” and commanded Storm to lie down.
Storm Understood the Assignment
Being a good dog, Storm obeyed and went to lie down underneath a seat away from the little girl.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the mother appeared and pushed the man! In self-defense, the man pushed her back, and she fell over.
Police Arrived on The Scene in A Matter of Seconds
Unsurprisingly, the woman got arrested for interfering with a service animal, and Storm and his owner was asked to fill out a police report.
People Responded
One person wrote, “I’m so sorry that happened to you, friend. I train my own service dogs as well, and people are ridiculous. I’m in the States and have had two mixed breeds as my working dogs and one lovely yellow lab. The next one will be a border collie, and I can’t wait!”
Another said, “I think there should be a help line for people who are introverted and who don’t like confrontation to ring with someone on call to put the miserable old idiots in their place lol I’d volunteer for that one.”
MORE FROM LOVED BY CURLS
A hardworking employee recently got revenge on his company after he was berated for not staying to help when he came in to do overtime on his day off. Here’s what the friend of the disgruntled worker had to say:
Employee Quits Job After He’s Written up For Not Staying Later After Coming Into Work on His Day Off
A Teacher Cut a Child’s Insulin Supply With Scissors When She Mistook It for Headphones
A man recently told Reddit about one of his school teachers who was so bad, that she cut the tube that was delivering insulin to his body with a pair of classroom scissors. Here’s what he had to say:
A Teacher Cut a Child’s Insulin Supply With Scissors When She Mistook It for Headphones
An Assistant Principal Bullied a Teacher Until She Quit but an Anonymous Tip Ensured That She Lost Her Job
A teacher recently told the story about the time she was bullied out by the assistant principal. Now she’s thriving, but the assistant principal isn’t. Here’s what she had to say:
Her Religious Parents Found ‘Forbidden Items’ in Her Room So Now They’ve Given Her 30 Days to Move Out
A woman who lives in her parents’ house was recently told to move out after they found forbidden items in her room. The daughter was upset and felt they had crossed a boundary. Here’s what the 25-year-old had to say.
A Man Tried to Pass Him on A Tight Rural Road so He Held Tight and Suddenly the Cops Appeared
A man recently told the story of how he managed to outsmart a tailgating driver. This story proves that patience really is a virtue. Here’s what he had to say:
A Man Tried to Pass Him on A Tight Rural Road so He Held Tight and Suddenly the Cops Appeared
Images are for illustrative purposes only
