AITA for telling another customer in a restaurant that it was disgusting to let her dog smell other people’s food?

Someone on Reddit shared a crazy story about a restaurant showdown—they called out another person for holding their dog too close to the food.

Dog owner’s dirty dog sparked a hygiene showdown…service animal claim added fuel to the fire! Was it a big deal or not? Read on!

‘ AITA for telling another customer in a restaurant that it was disgusting to let her dog smell other people’s food?’

Okay, so I love dogs, but not near my lunch. I was grabbing a salad in NYC when this woman walked in with her dog.

She was holding her dog, but its face and paws were all over people’s takeout! The dog was just sniffing, I guess – dogs and food, right?

Ugh, I saw that dog pee outside *before* going into the restaurant, and then it walked in its own pee! Gross! Its paws and face were all over the place, practically in everyone’s food. Disgusting!

Hey, some food containers weren’t covered all the way, and it totally grossed me out that lady was holding her dog practically *in* everyone’s food. I left, and she followed me outside, basically harassing me, claiming it was a service dog.

I told her I didn’t know what that had to do with the fact that she was holding her dog up to other people’s food and that was still disgusting for people who are picking up their own food orders. I asked why she couldn’t just put the dog on the ground or in a bag when she went inside the restaurant, but she just kept repeating that it was a service dog.

I tried to tell her her dog was too close to everyone’s food, but she wouldn’t listen, so I left. She yelled at me the whole time. Was I wrong for calling her out on it?

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

rockology_adam −  NTA. Service dogs don’t get up on counters to smell people’s food. Service dogs are supposed to be well-trained enough to be in public WITHOUT causing health issues. Even if it was a service dog, unless it’s helping her read her name on the labels, it has no business being near people’s food.

Seriously, I love dogs, but some owners are so entitled, letting their dogs all over other people’s stuff. I’ve even ratted out a couple to restaurant staff for having their dog on the table – it’s a health code violation!

It’s not you, it’s her. And that “service” dog of hers? It’s making real service dogs look bad.

Apart-Ad-6518 −  NTA. I also saw the dog outside before going in and saw that the dog *urinated on the ground* prior to going into the restaurant and that it’s *paws stepped into its own urine*.

Gross! The dog’s paws were practically in the food, and its face was all over everyone’s plates! Seriously, that’s nasty. Service dogs are usually better behaved, so if that’s a service dog, the owner needs to get a grip.

StAlvis −  NTA. She said that her dog was a service dog.. *No* it wasn’t.

R4eth −  Nta. She was lying about having a service dog. Service dogs are well trained to not be a nuisance in public. They’re there to be a *service* to their owner.

Seriously?! That selfish owner using a service dog’s name to excuse her dog’s bad behavior was totally disgusting. People like that give service dogs a bad name and make it harder for real service dogs to get into places.

WinnieTheeCoup −  I realized that I wasn’t going to get through to her with my point so I left but she just kept shouting at me as I was trying to walk away. NTA. Sounds like both she and her dog need to be taught boundaries.

Acceptable_Metal_1 −  Who cares if it was a service dog or not. Likely wasn’t but even if it was… don’t put your f**king dog near someone else’s f**king food you stupid f**king a**hole. Sorry, people like this p**s me off.

QuesoDelDiablos −  There is no way that was a service dog. A crackdown on the fake service dog thing is so sorely overdue. 

mecistops −  Last year, a woman stalked and harassed me because she put her bare feet on the communal table at a local coffee shop. I went to the staff to raise my concerns about her bare, sweaty feet on a table I’d literally just had my food on.

She said it was discrimination that I didn’t want her sweaty feet near my food because of her leg pain—even though there were tons of chairs around.

Okay, so maybe I wasn’t super polite, but it was WAY less gross than her feet on the tables! Seriously, she got banned from using them as a footrest, and then she bugged me about it for a WHOLE MONTH.

Letting someone with a disability eat doesn’t mean you have to ignore food safety rules. A service dog can totally wait on the floor while its owner gets their takeout. You’re not the asshole.

DamiaSugar −  That is a violation of the health code and they should be kicked out

Aggravating-Item9162 −  NTA and bs that was a service dog lol

Was that person right to call out the dog near the food, or should they have done things differently? What would *you* do? Let us know in the comments!