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.

Which you will see I corrected it you read all the posts after someone kindly linked to the law which I wasn’t aware of and although that was a hypothetical situation im always happy to be educated and always happy to admit if I was wrong

Again, where are we seeing all these dogs in eating establishments?

I've never ever seen a dog in an eating establishment. Ever 😂

Must not be the norm in my area.

All assistance dogs & guide dogs are covered by law.

Emotional support dogs are not, and dogs where owners put a eBay jacket on their dog saying service dog...these are not either.

Assistance dogs are trained for the individual child/adult and are registered. They are entitled by law to accompany that person as required by their disability.

You cannot ask them to leave because you are allergic or scared. It's that simple.

Can I ask where you are?

I do think it’s far more understandable if there was no dog bowl outside or sign up. I’m pro some dog friendly cafes and I still think it should have a sign. It was trickier for @Fourteenhouses if there was no sign up and she was unfamiliar with the area. I hadn’t realised the lack of a sign and the fact it was the only cafe in an unfamiliar village originally. It still would make sense to check, but equally is perfectly understandable that it didn’t get considered in that situation - especially if her home area doesn’t have many dog friendly cafes. It makes much more sense.

I think it’s interesting some posters say all their local cafes are dog friendly, I’ve never come across that. We have lots, as well as attractions (mainly outdoor) that are, but also even more that aren’t or that limit it to ‘doggy Fridays’ etc. I thought we were quite a dog friendly area too as plenty of walkers come here.

But we did , and they had to leave so the result we needed and wanted . I’d do it again if I had to

Newcastle

I meant the trend of everyone getting a dog and then thinking it should be welcome everywhere.

*for a ‘regular’ no service dog obviously

the issue here is that people genuinely think a pet dog has more rights than a disabled child and that’s batshit

I saw an assistance dog on Sunday in my local fancy restaurant...he was lovely and the owner chatted to me in the loos explaining some of the rules about no petting him etc. He slept most of the time under the table 🤣... except when he accompanied her to the loo!

@OKild09 I've not visited Newcastle with my dog, so probably wouldn't have noticed.

South coast here and lots of lovely dog friendly places

As an animal lover and dog owner I do find people's attitudes to dogs very strange at times. It's like they should come before humans!
Every year as it gets to summer there are certain areas of the local beach where dogs are banned. The outrage of this, every year, is mind boggling. Quite rightly some people want to enjoy a day out at the beach without dogs running all over, jumping at them, trying to eat their picnic, doing a poo, pissing on their stuff/sandcastles etc. I've been in pubs and shops when dogs have pissed in there, or barking the place down. I just get very confused with this entitled attitude over dogs.

Eh? There's plenty dog friendly eating places in Newcastle!

I agree with you I was quoting another poster suggesting parents acting like parents is a trend, it isn’t a trend, it is a normal aspect of being a good parent.

I see dogs in restaurants quite often, there are no real restrictions in my country unless the business owner decides not to allow it.

I will say that mostly the dogs behave but you do get some barky ones, which are annoying, but crying babies and whiny toddlers are also annoying to me. I prefer avoid cafés for all of these reasons. I would rather avoid it all than to go, get annoyed, and come on a forum to complain about it. Dogs are here to stay, so either don't go out or just deal with it.

A disabled person with an assistance dog would likely have told you the law, and politely sat down for tea 🤣🐕

Allergies are considered disabilities and covered by disability laws because they have an unavoidable impact on quality of life.

Pet ownership isn't a disability (except for the cases you highlighted).

This isn't a question of pets vs children. It's a question of how we treat disabled people in our society.

The OP did the right thing moving down (although it sounds like the woman may have been abrasive so I can understand why she might have been annoyed) and @Fourteenhouses did the right thing protect her child. Disabled people have the right to go outside and live their lives. There is no right to take pets everywhere and risk the health of children and adults who are allergic.

@Goldenbear
Entitlement isn't advocating for your children.
As we saw from the cafe post and the situation with guide dogs, some parents seem to think that 'advocating' for their children should include 'infringing' on the rights of disabled people with assistant dogs.

Thank goodness it was just 2 pet dogs then and not guide dogs. The dog owners were extremely pissed off though !

@Tribute219
What an extremely ignorant comment to make.
Most responsible dog owners know that a dog is for life (not just for lockdown). Most of consider our dogs our family.
You wouldn't get rid of your kids once 'life becomes normal again', so most dog owners wouldn't get rid of their dogs.

Changed your tune there haven’t you, so now you are arguing a serious point but actually referring to all children as feral says loads about you. Actually, even if a child is feral, it doesn’t change the law on their rights over a dogs so you may have to accept that certainty!

I didn't have children to remedy boredom though.

@Fourteenhouses How do you navigate life with your son, seeing dogs on the street, in a park, on a beach, passing by your window on your street. Does he meltdown every time he sees one?

I read somewhere, maybe it was on here, that lots of dogs who are of "lockdown age" are being sold on etc as their owners are now going back to work away from home or no longer have the time?

@Tribute219
Neither did most dog owners get dogs to remedy boredom.