AITA for telling a woman she shouldn’t be at a dog party?
A Redditor shares their experience at a lively dog costume contest in a public park. Amidst the excitement of the event, they notice a woman with her dog who seems uncomfortable and is repeatedly yelling at other dogs and their owners to keep away.
Frustrated by her behavior, the Redditor comments that if she doesn’t want her dog around others, she might not be in the right place. This comment sparks a defensive reaction from the woman, leading the Redditor to question whether they were out of line for speaking up. Read the full story below.
‘ AITA for telling a woman she shouldn’t be at a dog party?’
I was at a dog costume contest in a public park. There were hundreds of people and dogs. In the middle of everything, there was a woman sitting on a bench with her dog. Whenever any dog or person got near she would yell at them to get away and she would yank her dog back.
The dog kept trying to make friends and would stare longingly at the other dogs who were playing with each other and she would keep aggressively tugging him and scolding people. After a while I said “You know there’s kind of a big dog party going on.
If you don’t want your dog around people or dogs, perhaps this is not the right place for you.” She said “I don’t know what you want from me. I have a right to be here.” I wasn’t questioning her rights, just her judgment. AITA?
Here’s how people reacted to the post:
justhewayouare − I feel like the folks voting her the AH are missing the point. She wasn’t actively training her dog. She was sitting in the middle of the event on her phone. Owners with dogs weren’t just walking over to play with her dog, they were just in the vicinity which likely means simply walking by.
Could they have been “too close”? Sure, but it was a Park sponsored event which likely means it was busy and there’s only so much walking space during busy events. OP even said there were hundreds of people and dogs. If anything she’s an AH to her dog if she was attempting to train the dog to be around other dogs.
Why be at a big event? Why not choose a less busy dog park to let your dog get used to 1-2 dogs at a time instead of a park full of them? Plus, training involves the owner to actually be interacting with their own dog, which she wasn’t doing. NTA
IllTemperedOldWoman − I…can’t think of anything but Go Dog Go. At the dog party! The BIG dog party! Did they all have hats?
Few_Ad_5752 − NTA. It is her right to be there, but she is painfully inconsiderate of her poor dog and is making the other dog owners – who attended FOR their pets to have a chance to have fun – feel very sorry for her dog. I probably would have addressed her dog instead of her and commiserated with its unfair situation in her hearing. You were more polite..
Redfawn666 − NTA. She could see what was going on and she could have left at ant time if she wanted to. You politely pointing that out does not make you an a**hole.
dstarpro − NTA. She’s ridiculous for planting herself in the middle of a dog meet-up with her dog, and then acting nuts about her dog wanting to interact with other dogs, or vice versa. Or, for that matter, other dog people may be wanting to meet her. If that’s not your scene, maybe go sit somewhere else in the park?
Winter_Dragonfly_452 − NTA. That dog might’ve been trying to make friends, but it doesn’t mean that dog is friendly with other dogs. I have a dog and she barks aggressively at other dogs. Sometimes she wants to get to know them and sometimes she wants to go after them. So I would not bring my dog out like that, especially without a muzzle. I have a little Chihuahua dog.
General_Relative2838 − NTA. You were just pointing out the obvious. I don’t understand why people like that woman want to make trouble.
ImWatermelonelyy − Ridiculous to be causing her dog distress over what I assume is just stubbornness. I don’t take my dog to places with lots of people on purpose. He gets stressed in crowds. If a place I was planning on taking him is crowded, I just go somewhere else. People care more about their pride than their animals sometimes :/
gravitationalarray − Sounds like she really needed the attention. What a party pooper. If it was officially sponsored, were there no sponsors around to ensure a smooth event?
Meelomookachoo − NTA, same thing happened with a woman that brought her reactive dog to a dog park in my area. It’s a designated off leash dog area with a few miles of trails so people like to hike through. She wanted to bring her dog because of the trails but would scream and freak out any time any dog came up to hers.
A bunch of owners eventually got fed up and park rangers told her she needed to leave because she brought an aggressive dog into a dog park where other dogs are allowed to run around off leash
Was the Redditor justified in questioning the woman’s choice to attend the event, or did they overstep by telling her where she should be? How would you handle a situation where someone seems out of place at a social gathering? Share your thoughts below!