We can all agree that allergies, no matter what their cause, should be taken seriously.
But sometimes people with allergies feel entitled to far more accommodations than they’re actually meant to receive, cringed the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
Redditor Unique_Clothes7984 was surprised when they were confronted about their dog by a woman who had allergies, despite visiting a pet-friendly restaurant.
When they were accused of causing a scene, the Original Poster (OP) wondered if they should have done what the woman told her to do.
They asked the sub:
“AITA for not leaving a restaurant I was at with my dog because a lady was allergic to dogs?”
The OP decided to visit a pet-friendly restaurant.
“My town is very pet-friendly, and a few restaurants around here actually allow pets inside (on a leash, of course, and with their vaccine cards).”
“My boyfriend and I occasionally take our dog to a specific restaurant that is pet-friendly and even has a pet menu to order food for your cat or dog.”
“My boyfriend was working late yesterday, and as I was walking my dog, I decided to sit down at that restaurant with my dog and grab a meal.”
“The staff there all know us by now.”
A woman confronted the OP about their dog.
“As I had been served and I started eating my meal, and my dog had his own meal, a lady approached me and told me she’s allergic to dogs, so if I don’t mind, I should sit in the outdoor area of the restaurant.”
“I told her this is a pet-friendly restaurant.”
“She told me she’s aware but still, since she’s allergic, I should comply and get the dog outside, and she’d help me move my stuff.”
“I said sorry but I’m not moving, and if she’s allergic, she can move and sit at a table farther away.”
“She said she’s the one with the health issue, so I’m the one who has to make the sacrifice, out of respect.”
“I told her sorry but no, I have already started my meal and she hadn’t even ordered yet, so she should move.”
The situation escalated.
“She started raising her tone at me and started threatening me that she’ll get me kicked out and call the police on me.”
“I told her to go ahead.”
“Some other restaurant customers got involved and told me I should just leave.”
“I then asked the waiter if I am supposed to leave, and he said no since I’m not breaking any rules.”
“The lady called the restaurant manager and told him to kick me out.”
“He said the same, that I’m not doing anything against the policy.”
“But many of the customers got mad at me for not leaving because they claimed that, by not leaving, I kept provoking the other woman.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some wondered why the woman with pet allergies would visit a pet-friendly restaurant.
“NTA.”
“Why oh why would you go to a pet-friendly restaurant which has a pet menu and therefore has a VERY HIGH chance that there will be… PETS… there if you have an allergy to dogs?!”
“I can’t fathom some people’s stupidity at times.” – kato969
“NTA. I think some people leave their house with the intention of starting a fight with people. This woman was completely unreasonable and should have left once she saw the pet menu, knowing she had an allergy.” – erbear048
“I’m surprised she could even handle being inside a pet-friendly restaurant, considering the allergens inside would most likely bother her if her allergy was bad enough to warrant approaching OP.”
“I have a friend who is deathly allergic to cats and she has a cat-sensing superpower. She can sense a cat or its hair/saliva the instant she walks into a room (or the instant a cat’s human walks in).” – InvisiblePlants
“She was presumably at some distance from them and decided to get closer to her allergen and stay there for a while. Did she WANT to start to have an allergic reaction?” – Hungry-Resolve20
“I actually thought she maybe wasn’t allergic. That she just didn’t like that the dog was there and wanted to use an excuse that would ‘ensure’ it was out of her sight.”
“Because there is no way I can fathom actively going to a place where I know I’ll be surrounded by allergens and, after spotting one, deciding to get even closer to it.” – Hungry-Resolve20
“I tend to steer very clear and far away from my allergens when possible. Sure as f**k not going to be helping someone who contains said allergen.”
“I definitely wouldn’t be going to a place well-known for having the allergens. Like, my sea allergic a** isn’t going to Red Lobster.” – SocksAndPi
“Has dog allergy, goes to a pet-friendly restaurant.”
“Did she tell the servers she was allergic? so that they could put her someplace less likely to have a dog put nearby?”
“Why did she go to that specific restaurant. Maybe it is just me, but if I was allergic to an animal, and there was this restaurant that allowed that animal inside of it, I don’t care if the food is heaven. I am not going to go there.”
“I may get something to go if they allow that, but generally, unless the allergy is like mine to flowers (where I will get stuffed up, and sniffly, but not worse), I am not going to put myself into that position.” – DiegoIntrepid
“I would even bet that the woman in this story didn’t even have a real allergy, she probably just wanted to assert her dominance. NTA.” – MM_Mango_663
Others agreed and said it also would have been much easier for the woman to move, not the OP.
“I was waiting for her to offer, ‘I will hold your dog while you move your stuff.'”
“She hasn’t even ordered, she could sit on the other end of the restaurant, but no, her first reaction is to get closer and closer to the dog.”
“NTA.” – Sheeps_n_Birds
“Also, she suggested you eat outside. Why doesn’t she go eat outside instead?” – hardolaf
“If her allergies were so serious, why would she approach OP, stand right next to a dog that she’s presumably very allergic to, and offer to carry stuff that’s presumably covered in shed dog fur?”
“Either the allergies are so serious OP has to leave the room because she can’t even tolerate being 20 feet away, or they’re so mild she can walk right up to a dog, offer to move dog stuff, and argue with the owner.” – Jpmjpm
“NTA.”
“You are fully within your rights to dine at a pet-friendly restaurant. She walked into one, fully knowing her own issues. She’s nothing but a troublemaker.”
“The other customers suck. They sound like people-pleasers who will swallow wrongdoings just to avoid conflict of any kind. Spineless.” – TrustedTriangle
“Yeah, this whole situation is like walking into a horror movie when you have PTSD.”
“The movie theatre isn’t going to put on ‘Paw Patrol’ for you. It’s your job to manage your issues, avoid things that trigger them, and leave quietly if it gets too difficult.”
“Source: I have PTSD, accidentally saw a movie that was way more graphic than I could handle, quietly left the room when I realized I was going to have a flashback, and didn’t ask for a refund.” – usernameemma
A few pointed out the only person responsible for protecting against allergies is the allergic person themselves.
“What I can’t get over is the entitlement that she has an allergy so you have to facilitate her allergy.”
“No one is obliged to facilitate your allergy. The onus is on the person with the allergy to ensure the allergy is not aggravated, so going to a pet-friendly restaurant and complaining that does pets in the restaurant is literally the height of stupidity.” – Wolfpawn
“Wait, you mean the world doesn’t have to cater to my needs? This is insane, I’m offended. (ends sarcastic comment)” – EducatedPancake
“And if it’s that pet friendly, there’s probably fur and dander from previous pet customers on the floor and floating about. If her allergies were so serious that OP had to be outside with the dog, the dander and fur would get her anyways.”
“The lady should have moved to a table further away or sat outside.”
“I have health conditions, and the thing is, there are times when people have to accommodate you, times when you have to meet in the middle, and times when you have to accept a situation isn’t for you. That’s just the reality of life.” – TinyRascalSaurus
While there were some critical people at the restaurant who probably were more interested in keeping the peace than actually doing what was right, the subReddit sided with the OP.
They were sitting there and ordered first, at a pet-friendly restaurant, with their dog in tow. The woman could have moved much more easily than the OP, and it’s also questionable what she was doing in a pet-friendly restaurant anyway.