For being annoyed I was asked to stand on a bus because of dog allergies?

[anywayhereswonderwall]

I went to visit a friend in London today and I took my dog. It's worth noting she is a mini poodle, and hypoallergenic, and well behaved. You can barely even tell she's there. I got on the bus as part of my journey. It was the middle of the day so there were a few empty seats (but not loads).

I got on and sat down, and the woman a few rows behind me said 'can you move , I have a dog allergy'. I apologised and moved a few rows forwards, the furthest forwards I could go and still get a seat.

She then shouted forwards 'not far enough, you're going have to stand at the front'.

I was confused, but did it. I spent the rest of the 35 minute journey standing right at the front of the bus while the woman was 3/4 of the way along, sitting.

I did what she said for the journey, but when I got off I felt annoyed and I'm not sure if I'm justified.

it would depend who was there first in that instance. If we were then yes they’d have to leave, if they were already there then we would have had to leave.

The ones with dog Allergies,

There is such thing as therapy to over come this,

And No I don't see why you should have had to stand up all the time,

You were good enough to move away and just sit on further seats

Thats All you needed to do,

you didnt have to Accommodate someone else needs to the point of having to allmost be like a Corntorist at a big top circus,

What if @anywayhereswonderwall

Was Blind Bus User , who had to use a labradour dog then?

Had suffer with vertigo or banging migraines headaches or varicose veins, epilepsy ect,

Something to think about isn't it...

Guide dogs? Being without them, is also bloody distressing.

i probably wouldn’t have heard her anyway if she was behind me, as I am deaf and hearing aids don’t work very well for noises behind you.

@Fourteenhouses you'd really push for, say, a blind person to leave somewhere with their guide dog??

The other passengers right to use the bus trumps a dogs. If she does have allergies they could trigger things such as asthma attacks. They shouldn't really be allowed on public transport in my opinion. Obviously service dogs are fine.

Do service dogs not cause allergic reactions?

@Fourteenhouses who was there first?

I feel for you but don't expect the insane dog brigade to have an ounce of understanding or sympathy. They feel entitled to take their 'little furbaby' wherever they'd like to despite the issues other people face due to dogs.

Thanks for all your replies. It seems quite split! I didn't really think much of moving- I have no idea how bad dog allergies can be, and for all I knew it could be the equivalent of opening a packet of nuts next to someone on a plane. So I made a split second decision to just do what she said.

Then when I got off I reflected and realised I might have been a pushover because the circumstances are actually quite different, and because as a few people have said I have just as much of a right to have a seat as anyone else for a long journey.

Guide dogs are an exception, that goes without saying. The vast majority of dogs I see in shops and public transport are not guide dogs

@Chasingadvice I take it you understand what a service dog is? It’s not a ‘fur baby’.

I would've done the same as you, OP. She wasn't very gracious, was she? I'd be pissed off too. She should've moved, not asked you to.

Thing is, the bus and train companies allow all dogs in their carriages etc. So no, owners (‘mutt obsessives’ 🙄) are not being unreasonable.

What if the guide dog owner refused to leave and the cafe owner was happy to serve them?

you can’t force anyone out of a public space

Yes and their owners right to have their essential animal with them trumps that of an allergic person. It’s sadly one of those ‘can’t win’ things but for how few guide dogs there are I can’t imagine it’s a persistent problem.

Whereas someone just taking Fido out for the day does not trump the right of someone who could have an allergic reaction.

She had no right to expect you to stand. Asking you to sit as far away as possible as a courtesy would have been fine but telling you that you weren’t far enough away and you’d have to stand is just rude.

Dogs are allowed on busses and they are a normal part of life in this country so she should find a way to deal with it that doesn’t involve being rude to other people.

Of course they do.

@Fourteenhouses
It doesn't work like that. It is illegal to deny entry to someone with a guide dog. In this case, your and your son would need to vacate the premises.
It's really simple.

Fgs when did the rights of a dog trump a humans? (Service dogs excluded).

I went to a cafe for brunch a few weeks ago and there were dogs lounging on the sofas. I have allergies and asthma and sitting amongst the dogs triggered my allergies. Why do dogs have to be allowed everywhere?!

Also what about service dogs for speacial needs people such as for mental health disorders ect

As I said if they were there first then no- but if as like the situation we were in they arrived after us then we would take priority.

You do realise autism is a disability too? My son is severely affected. As I said if we got somewhere and someone with a guide dog was there first we would leave so it works both ways .

That said we would actively avoid a dog friendly cafe - when we went in wasn’t made obvious anywhere it was apparently ‘just local knowledge’ had I known I’d have avoided.

yanbu!