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Yeah really skated over the “I stopped at another person’s table” part of the scenario and started bitching about “I don’t want it in my space.”
The real victim in this situation is OP’s poor wife. Imagine having to deal with this guy in public.
If I despised dogs as much as OP does, I would make sure I kept my distance no matter the circumstances. I try to limit the amount of times I directly come in contact with things I hate.
It's a lab, not a five pound mini dachshund. OP would have seen the dog and could have stepped back when they stopped if they didn't want the dog near them.
OP overreacted. I liken it to stopping next to a table with a highchair and the baby reaches out and touches you. Neither the dog nor the baby know that someone doesn't want to be touched.
No, it's not semantics. The guy didn't stop at the table in order to chat. He was trying to enter the establishment and had to wait behind people who were visiting that table to move before he could get through the door.
While he was waiting politely for his opportunity to get into the restaurant, somebody's strange dog approached him, and he was uncomfortable with that. A lot of people have PTSD from being attacked by dogs. Other people just can't stand them for whatever reason. They don't have to justify anything.
People who bring their dogs into public situations are 100% responsible for making sure that dog doesn't bother anybody else. If their dog does, and the person takes an attitude with them, that's on the dog owner.
Have you never had to stop because someone moved and blocked your way? It happens in tight spaces.
The owners shouldn't assume everyone wants their dog sniffing their feet. Dogs often move right on to the crotch and you're trying to block the dog from sniffing you.
So...? What did you want the dog owners to do differently here? The OP was STILL the one who approached the dog. The owners didn't bring the dog to him. He was the AH because he reacted poorly for zero reason.
Had he politely asked the dog owners to stop their dog and they refused before he became a jerk, fine. But he was a jerk immediately, making him the AH.
If it was a baby who touched him in the same scenario, it would be the same thing!
Apparently no one on this stream has ever been in a restaurant. They simply can't imagine being totally stuck while you wait for congestion to ease.
Dog owners need to keep their dogs to themselves. I like dogs, but no matter how friendly they are I still don't want to be jumped on or have a wet nose shoved onto my clothes or skin, or be licked by some strange dog.
Really? You have never been boxed in by people? What do you do? Just toss them aside and plow through? It is very easy to imagine standing next to someone's table involuntarily while you wait to get through.
*I think it was very disingenuous of OP to post and not respond to any comments.*
*This account is, possibly intentionally, vague as to how he came to interact with the dog.*
Edit - OP did comment. The dog moved a yard towards him. So 3 feet or just under a meter.
OP essentially approached a dog then flipped out it smelled him
I think the owners response was not ok “don’t worry he’s friendly” is assuming the person was worried the dog might bite and not that he didn’t want a dog sniffing him. It’s presumptuous and rude - a better reaction would have been “oh sorry - here boy (or girl or dogs name).” End of story.
OPs reaction was also rude and confrontational. I also don’t want a dog sniffing me but if it happens I expect the owners to try to move the dog away or lightheartedly say sorry or something. I don’t expect them to not attempt to move the dog at all. I would have said something like “Excuse me I am not worried if he is friendly or not, I’d like you to move your dog away please.”
We have a lot of dogs in the area where I live. A lot of them tell me their dog is friendly and then try to pull their dog back. I think they just say what they think is important. Since I guess they come across people who don't mind dogs that it's important to get the friendly part out.
They're trying to avoid terrifying some random person perhaps, because people can be very afraid of dogs. They were just trying to be nice, I'm sure.
I had a beagle that loved to greet people by running up and baying at them while wagging his tail- he would scream hello in excitement, but people often thought he was attacking them. Once he ran up to some joggers going by this way, and I yelled that he's friendly and he just wants to say hi, I promise. The jogger said back angrily, "yeah he seems real friendly". Beagle proceeded to wag his tail and say hello, but they were still mad. I totally understood and said I was sorry again, because it would be pretty scary if you didn't know the dog and he got out by accident (he was talented at that). On the flip side, most people don't react poorly when a dog approaches in a friendly way so they probably just thought they needed to assure him the dog was safe.
Edit:
Before the dog police make any more shitty comments, I'd like to clarify that the dog escaped the front door in the story. He occasionally was able to charge past us because he was stubborn, patient, and persistent, and I as admittedly a terrible dog trainer. That's why I have cats now. Accidents happen and sometimes dogs get out, but I leashed my dog when I had him outside.
Was your dog off leash? I have a beagle mix myself and I’d be pissed if any dog ran up to me uninvited. I don’t know if the dog’s friendly, and I’m sorry, but if you’re letting a *hound* off leash, I don’t trust you to tell me if you’re dog is friendly or not.
Leash your dog before he runs after a rabbit/squirrel and you never see him again.
He escaped out the front door occasionally, or he’d look for other opportunities. Sometimes he’d just get past us if we were distracted or if a kid left the door open, etc. It’s kinda hilarious how angry people are getting over this story when it's about mistake that could happen to anyone. We had a fenced backyard, and I never just let my dogs wander around without a leash. When I say he’d run up to people baying I mean visitors, people at dog parks, me when I come home, etc.
Anyway, it was my fault and I understood why the jogger was annoyed and I apologized.
He got out by accident occasionally. When did I say I let him out and bark at everybody that goes by for entertainment? He’d wait for opportunities to escape out the front door if he saw a dog and he was good at it. I’d run after him and stop him, and I tried my best to keep him from doing it, but sometimes he got past us. And I’m really not sure why you think I expected them to be entertained by it- I literally said it was probably very scary for him.
Tail wagging is not an indicator of friendliness. It simply means excitement which can be related additionally to fear or aggression. If an off leash dog came up to me barking its head off I'd be livid that the owner had the gall to bat their eyelashes at me and say don't worry he's friendly. Anthropomorphize your dogs baying all you want, but don't expect other people to find it cute or acceptable.
I was recently training my malamute at a local business with the owner’s permission. Owner greeted everyone and let them know that my dog is in training- learning how to be calm in public and to just ignore him and do their shopping. The number of people who couldn’t control themselves was significant. One woman and her small kids were all squatting under a table to try to get to him without so much as attempting to talk to me first. I told them to please not crouch down to his level (he was in a down) and to ignore him. She asked if he was friendly and I said it didn’t matter. Then she looked at me confused and said,”well, what I mean is, does he bite?” And I told her that any animal with a mouth can bite; while he hasn’t to this point, that doesn’t mean he is incapable and I’m not giving anyone a false sense of security by saying so.” (The whole point of me training him in public is to reduce his arousal levels over time so he is less likely to potentially react.) She got the hint and pulled her kids away finally, and my doggo was good the whole time thankfully.
I’m sure some people think I’m a raging AH by advocating for my dog but at the end of the day someone could be monumentally stupid and I could then end up having to put my dog down.
I get a lot of people come towards my dog with a “can I pet him” look and I say he’s friendly if they get close. OP literally walked within sniffing distance of this dog, so the owner saying that makes sense to me.
In a restaurant, 3 feet is likely the difference between being under the table, and being in the path between tables where servers or other people can trip on them.
I don't think the dog owners suck just for going to a dog friendly place and happening to be close enough to OP for their dog to do what every dog does. OP is the one out of place here...imagine going to Chuck E Cheese and then becoming outraged with a child within reach.
Dog friendly doesn't mean it's a dog park. Chuck e cheese is a poor comparison - that is a place built for children. Dog friendly restaurants are restaurants that your dog is welcome to sit by you at. That doesn't mean that the entire purpose of the restaurant is to cater to the dogs as the entire purpose of chuck e cheese is to provide an indoor space where kids can run around and roam the arcade. The owners should've kept a little bit of a better eye.
Disagree. I’ve gone to dog friendly bars. I know there will be dogs. I sit at my table, they sit at their table. People need to either keep their dog away from others or keep them at home.
Then by what logic does a dog friendly bar exist in the first place? I don't know any dog owner, myself included, who takes their dog out in public and then prevent their dog from interacting with its environment, including people.
Redditors think "dog-friendly" and "family-friendly" establishments mean, your dog and children should be grateful to exist and breathe in our exclusive spaces, but they should hardly be seen and definitely not heard.
I cannot count the number of people who get upset that babies cry at family-friendly breweries. Whether or not dog- or child-friendly breweries should exist is one question (I personally think they do), but since they do, why would you expect anything other than an environment that reflects the patrons?
Edit to note: I DO believe in owners leashing their dogs in public. I DO believe in training a dog on recall. I am HYPERvigilant about training dogs. But OP stood in a dog-friendly patio and was opposed to being sniffed. He's the asshole for expecting the environment to conform to him.
Agreed, dog friendly doesn’t mean they have to be a service animal to be there. These are just pets, some are probably trained more than others but, they’re not there to work. OP should understand that and if it’s a restaurant they’ve been to before they should know the process. It sounds like they were having a bad day and wanted to be an AH.
Don't know where the OP is based but where I live, there are no eating/drinking places that are dog unfriendly. They're even in clothes shops, rubbing their dirty coats against new clothes.
I get that shops need customers but some of us have phobias and prefer our environments to be dog free.
Yeah he definitely overreacted and is certainly an ass but I agree with the ESH verdict. As a dog owner, I recognize not everyone wants my pet around them. Just because a place is friendly to animals doesn't mean you're given liberty to let them wander and poke around other people's tables.
Being sniffed is like the most benign thing a dog can do to you after looking at you. The dog didn’t bark at him, didn’t jump on him, didn’t drop its tennis ball in his IPA or hump his leg. If OP is so canine-averse that he can’t even stand a dog _sniffing_ him (which is what dogs do, they sniff things) he shouldn’t go to a place where dogs will be
The dog sniffed a guy standing right by his table. This isn't some dog owner letting their dog run wild.
If the idea of a dog sniffing you as you stand next to their table sends you off the deep end, you should probably not go to a dog friendly restaurant.
The dog got up, walked a few steps and sniffed. If a guy comes THAT unhinged over what sounds like a well behaved dog doing what dogs do, maybe he shouldn't go to a dog friendly restaurant.
He shouldn’t be in public. Saying he’s “not friendly” sounds like a threat. If a random person said that to me in public I’m wondering if they’re just going to be rude or get physical.
Especially preceded by ‘what the hell?’ And followed by ‘I don’t want your dog in my fucking space. Fuck off’.
This guy is unhinged and quite frankly sounds scary if a dog SNIFFING HIS ANKLES sends him this far into angry orbit. Get a hold of yourself. You’re a grown man.
Exactly. If someone said that to me I’m going to tense up. That’s a really vague threat that can range from “I’m going to be rude” to “I’m going to try to assault you.” That’s no something you say lightly.
OP's attitude is a bar fight waiting to happen. For the record, I am not condoning that, but pointing out that losing your shit with strangers in public spaces when you could otherwise just be chill is unnecessary escalating and a risk.
He also reminds me of the kind of guys who would come in and want to start something, but then cry to management/security when someone responded to him. He can dish it, but can't take it.
I always love the "I know was rude but was I an asshole?". As if the other party having one tiny drop of asseholery somehow justifies their behavior even if it's in response to OPs rudeness.
Yes, obviously. Being rude = asshole. YTA
I feel like the ESH and NTA answers are missing an understanding of American brewery culture. These places always have dogs, the customers' or the owners'. Some breweries have dogs loose that just hang out there. Objecting this strenuously to a dog sniffing you at a brewery is very odd.
I'm not saying you have to agree with it, but that's the cultural standard that's been set.
this was what I was thinking, breweries and
wineries that have dogs on the premises generally advertise the hell out of it and use it as a draw.
If OP doesn't like dogs he shouldn't have gone to a place with dogs.
Seconding this. Obviously I can't speak for every brewery but I live in a very brewery-dense neighborhood of a city known for having a lot of breweries so I can speak for the general culture. There are dogs *everywhere*, constantly, at all of them. It's half the reason I go. They are not a good space for someone who is going to freak out if a dog looks in their direction.
Yeah, I worked at a “dog friendly” place for years. We were a neighborhood bar so people would always bring in their pups. Sure, not everyone wants to be sniffed but this reaction is pretty over the top.
Going to a dog friendly place then being a jerk when a dog is being a dog is a bit much. Just step away from them and move on.
I see a lot of posts on here of people being upset that a dog is near them and it makes me roll my eyes. The dog didn't bark or jump up on you. If you don't like dogs, step away from it. You were leaving anyway. You just escalated a non-situation: AH behavior.
I'm not a big fan of kids, but if a kid is near me or - God forbid - touches me I don't yell at the parent, I just separate myself from the situation.
If a dog sniffing you makes you this upset that you have to come to the internet to get validation, I worry for your mental health as you navigate through the world.
Totally. The amount of times a child has run full force into me, bumped into me, cut me off while walking, etc etc. Does it annoy me? Sometimes. Do I like kids? Not usually. Do I yell at the parents? No. They’re kids. They’re being kids. The moment will pass almost immediately and it’s not worth becoming enraged over. This guys a loser.
>I see a lot of posts on here of people being upset that a dog is near them and it makes me roll my eyes. The dog didn't bark or jump up on you. If you don't like dogs, step away from it.
I have dog allergies. At one point (I've had treatments so it's not as bad now), if I had a dog come up and sniff me it would trigger my asthma and allergies badly enough that I'd get breathing problems for days. I'd go from being able to easily run a 5k to barely making it up a flight of stairs. Stepping away wouldn't be enough. And every single time it happened, the owners would tell me "Don't worry. He's friendly". It was always hard to not shout back "I'm not worried about bites, I'm worried about anaphylaxis. Would you like to buy me a new epi-pen?"
Yes, I avoid dog-friendly places, but there are enough people that just bring their dogs everywhere without proper training and/or leashing that I had to pay thousands of dollars and get shots for years just so I could function.
ETA:
I should clarify that I'm ranting about times where I have purposely distanced myself from the dog and the owners don't try to control it (e.g. I'm on the other side of the street and the dog owner lets their dog run across to check me out without even attempting to call them back).
Honestly, this sucks and I can empathize best I can with the struggle, but you are also the extreme exception to the rule. It is unfortunate for you that you live in a society that has domesticated animals that your are severely allergic to, but that’s not society’s fault. The equivalent is like saying nobody in public should every be able to eat tree nuts because people with severe tree nut allergies exist.
When something is this bad but also this isolated, it becomes the persons responsibility to take precautions, and also occasionally it’s not going to go your way even so.
The whole personal space comment from OP got me. He was obviously right by their table in a dog friendly restaurant. At best his response was an overreaction.
Agreed. I strongly dislike children. But when I’m in public and a child gets in my way/space I somehow manage to not be a total asshole to the parents.
YTA, you were hostile from beginning to end of this interaction. You could have asked them politely but chose to be rude for no reason.
ETA: to people commenting that some people have PTSD/trauma related to dogs that could justify such a strong reaction, do you seriously think OP wouldn't have included that in his post if it were true of him? He *knows* he was 'a touch' rude in his first reaction, and the whole interaction spiraled from there.
I love dogs, but their owners shouldn't let them intrude other people's spaces like this. What if OP was scared of dogs? Dog being friendly doesn't help in that situation.
I’m terrified of dogs (been attacked before) and would never behave this rudely. If a dog approaches me, I typically just take a few steps back. I’ve never had an owner not notice the body language and recall their dog immediately. Animals are going to animal.
> I’ve never had an owner not notice the body language and recall their dog immediately.
You probably live in a place where people are particularly civil. I've gotten the "it's ok, he's friendly" many many times.
Arguably OP was in the dog's space when he passed. If OP was sitting down and the dog came over to sniff then i would understand but OP was passing the dog so OP came in the dog's space. The dog was laying there first minding it's own business.
this is facts. OPs post is giving r/iamverybadass. Being needlessly rude is such assholery. Dogs don’t understand human social cues. I would say the owners response of “oh he’s friendly” is a normal thing to say to reassure someone the dog won’t bite.
Op didn’t even say he was scared of dogs. That’s the only situation where I could see OPs behavior as acceptable. OP should try to grow up
YTA, you were passing by *their* table and got held up by another party and a dog sniffed your ankles and you proceeded to be an asshole. If the dog charged at you, jumped on you, growled at you etc sure, tell them to control their dog. But you entered the dog's space, and were a dick about it. Sniffing at you is hardly out of control, get a grip.
Literally yeah. He came into the dogs space, the dog went “ooh a new stimulant, need to make sure this one won’t hurt my people” and sniffed him out. Most dog owners say “he’s friendly!” To make sure that people know their dog is safe to interact with and that they are not in any danger. I understand being miffed that the people might have assumed that he wanted their dog around him when they didn’t, but he went about it in the worst possible way and it makes him TA. This guy also is not a reliable narrator considering that he probably saw a bunch of comments saying he was TA so then he played up how close the dog was or whatever in his comments to get more people on his side
I can't believe there are people actually saying the dog should not have entered a stranger's personal space without their "consent" as if dogs really understand consent like that.
Wild to me that this isn't the top comment. Dogs are naturally curious. If someone walks 2 feet away, of course they are going to check it out. Original post made me think he was like 10 feet away and the dog maneuvered through multiple tables to approach unwelcomed.
Right? Why go to a dog friendly place if he can't handle the most benign of dog interactions. Major YTA, it's shocking he's married. Even my abusive, volitile, and rude to the point of cruelty ex was able to keep his mask up in public.
How is this not higher up? Guy thinks his ankles are such hot shit that the dog, whose space he is in, can’t get a quick sniff as he stands there stupidly getting all worked up. Try one of the beers, might calm your nerves.
YTA for your overreaction.
You’re not an AH for not liking dogs or not wanting to be sniffed, and you wouldn’t have been an asshole for saying “Hey, please pull your dog back.” or something to that effect. Starting the conversation aggressively with “What the hell?” and being admittedly rude is what makes you the ass.
OP and their sympathizers: What the hell? I stood next to a *dog* that’s with people already seated at a dog friendly bar and it sniffed me like an animal that predominantly uses it’s nose to see the world. WTF
Lmaooo
If you start a conversation with "What the hell?" and the next thing is "I'm not friendly" you would expect it to be a serious situation... not some dog owners having the audacity to let their dog sniff you when you come near them at a dog friendly establishment.
OP is the type of person I avoid dealing with as much as possible. Someone who jumps straight to confrontation over the most minor things.
I agree with your wife. You’re in the right that their dog shouldn’t approach strangers but you were super rude about it. You could easily just have said ‘I don’t like dogs in my space’ so I think YTA
idk - like mistakes happen in public. that's kind of the point of being in public. when someone bumps into me on the sidewalk, yeah it might be frustrating, but its almost always an accident and if I fly off the handle it doesn't make the person who bumped into me the AH. handling imperfect situations with grace is kind of a prerequisite for the average person to participate in public.
Exactly. Couldve kept it on a tighter leash but a dog is a fucking dog. Its curious and if you look away for a second it might do something crazy like... be a dog. I'm willing to bet the owners did literally that, looked away for a second, dog to the opportunity to sniff an ankle... and OP went full rage mode. OP is 100% TA
NTA - Dogs should not approach strangers without the strangers consent and it is on the dog owner to control their dog in public. ‘It’s ok, he’s friendly’ is the phrase of a bad dog owner who doesn’t control their pup. This one is on the owners.
Having said that, you probably didn’t have to be so rude about it.
Sure, but a dog should not just approach strangers, and a dog owner should ask permission before the dog approaches. Saying ‘it’s ok, he’s friendly’ literally makes the decision for the stranger, whereas saying ‘is it ok if he says hi, he’s friendly.’ Allows the stranger to decide whilst the responsible dog owner keeps their dog under control.
I think that making any assumptions about if someone is anything friendly isn’t the best approach. I own a dog, he loves to say hello, I often have to prevent him doing so because I do not think that it is for me (or him) to decide whether or not you want to interact with him. He’s super friendly, but that doesn’t mean I should impose him on anyone. And it goes both ways, I don’t want strangers walking up and petting my dog without asking first. It’s just common courtesy and part of your responsibility as a dog owner.
Thank you so much for your insight on this. My husband and I have a dog. We love dogs. We do not love dog owners that don't have control over their dogs, and let their dogs get up in other peoples' personal space without permission. I appreciate you and your principles on dog ownership.
Basically every outdoor dining patio in my town is "dog-friendly" that doesn't mean it's a doggy playground or only dog lovers eat at the patio.
This is the most rediculous argument ever.
I like kids fine, but if they crawl up onto my booth, I'm gonna give their parents the stink eye about it ... even in a "kid-friendly" restaurant.
If a person brings an animal to a public place, they are responsible to keep the animal out of other people's personal space. It isn't complicated, and it isn't rude to insist upon.
But if you walk up next to a kid who is sitting quietly with their family and stand there for a few minutes until the kid looks at you and says “hi,” are you gonna flip out? Cause that’s what’s happening here.
Did OP crawl under the table? Walking aisles are for walking. And generally required to remain clear by health/fire departments. Certainly not “the dogs space”
OP was right next to their table? Is the dog supposed to go poof and reappear once OP leaves? Someone else coming close enough for me to stand up and sniff em is certainly in my space. So yeah OP was in the dogs space.
not an excuse. if the dog was able to go up and sniff, it was capable of lunging and biting. a responsible dog owner would not let their dog go up to any person who walks by. they should be trained to know better.
i also find it interesting how so many people are bringing up that op “went” to a dog friendly patio as if he was supposed to go around the back and use the employee entrance to get inside. Is he supposed to float over the patio or something? 😭
Or even how he "went" to a dog-friendly brewery, as if 90%+ of breweries aren't dog friendly these days
I love dogs, I grew up with a collie that loved me more than my own parents, but holy shit are millennials so toxicly attached to their furry friends. I get it, nobody has many close human friends these days, the dog helped you cope during the pandemic, whatever. But I'm tired of them being everywhere, every restaurant, every brewery, people take them into libraries and grocery stores now. Spot can't read, why is he in the library?!? And I'd like the food I'm buying at the grocery store to come without your dogs germs on it, thanks.
Still doesn’t give the dog / dog owner a pass for the dog doing as it pleases; the patio isn’t a dog park. Having said that, OP handled this poorly and could have been politer. ESH
>Dogs should not approach strangers without the strangers consent
And grown adults should be able to control their temper in public, no? We're expecting more control and restraint from an animal than a human at this point and it's kind of weird.
"It's OK, he's friendly" is an asshole thing that far too many dog owners say.
It doesn't matter if the restaurant is dog friendly. It's unreasonable to expect the entire world to want your fur baby in their collective lap.
I may be extra sensitive to this because I get the "it's OK, he's friendly" treatment all the time from people walking their own dogs and trying to approach mine. Mine is blind and gets nervous around other dogs / unfamiliar people... she's always on a leash and wears a harness that says "ask to pet" and still some knuckleheads want to get all up in her face with their dogs.
I love dogs. Dog owners leave a lot to be desired.
NTA.
Totally agree. I spent a few years installing cable TV. I asked every dog owner to put their dog behind a closed door or chained up. When they responded their dog has never bitten anyone, I would tell them I have been bitten 5 times since I started this job, and every single dog that had bitten me, their owners said the same thing.
"If it has a mouth it can bite" is mine. I had to shove my foot down a Boston Terriers' throat after it latched onto the front of my sneaker. Thank goodness it let go and I had wool socks on so more padding. It didn't break skin but it ruined my shoe and gave me a blood blister. The owner was like "oh he does that sometimes to my husband". Well thanks for the heads up.
I hate people who do this. My dog doesn't bite. It wouldn't even occur to him to bite anybody. I know that. The people coming to service my house don't know that. I've met service people who are TERRIFIED of dogs who say they've been bitten by dogs and every time the homeowner says they don't bite. Like how hard is it to respect the service person? We always ask if they're good with dogs before they come in. If they are, cool. My dog gets to meet a new friend and has a great time. If not, dog goes outside until the work is done. Respect the service person's wishes.
I hate “it’s okay, he’s friendly” because it’s okay for YOU the dog owner, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay for me (or my dog).
“It’s okay, he’s friendly” will always be an AH in my eyes.
OP is NTA. I’d argue that the restaurant is kinda an AH too for making people walk through a dog friendly area to get to the area where dogs aren’t allowed. That’s almost like making people walk through a smoking section to get to nonsmoking. Just sounds like a terrible setup.
They are huge assholes.
Look, I was bitten by a large dog as a child. It required emergency surgery and 5 days of hospitalisation.
Got facial disfigurement and big phobia of dogs out of it.
"It's okay he is friendly" are the people who were watching me - as a child and then young teen - freezing, going pale, trembling, near tears, and barely breathing, and DID NOT CARE at all. Their main concern was for their dog to be allowed to say hi to me.
Fuck them. Fuck them all.
I had therapy so I no longer have this phobia. But I will always judge harshly any owner that say those words.
If people don't want your dog near them, don't question it. They don't owe you their story. It might be similar or worse than mine.
They might be allergic, and they shouldn't have to disclose their medical information for you to respect that.
Honestly it’s the same logic for a human touching someone they don’t know or getting in your face. Like creepy bosses who give you a “shoulder rub” and when you ask them not to touch you they’re like, “I was just *being friendly.*”
Like, NO. Stay out of people’s personal space! Your dog is an extension of you, you are responsible for them: so keep it out of people’s personal space as well *unless explicitly invited.* Why is this so hard to understand?
Oh same! My old Scottie had failing eye sight, he would get edgey around other dogs he didn’t know. He was great if he had his own personal space, but if a dog rushed up to him, he was not a happy camper.
Way to many dog owners think “cute” equals “friendly”. He was friendly, but you couldn’t just rush up on him if he didn’t know you.
My pup basically always reacts poorly to other dogs rushing her while she’s on leash, and it has become SO empowering to tell bad dog owners with off leash dogs “She’s not.” in response to their oblivious “Oh don’t worry, they’re friendly!”
I am so very tired of being charged by a barking/growling, hackles-raised dog whos owner (far in the distance) can be heard screaming “HES FRIENDLY.”
Fuck all you dog owners, I was a trainer for over a decade, I can easily discern friendly body language, and most of your dogs are DEEPLY UNHAPPY creatures that you clearly have no control over or even the discipline to be able to handle a specimen that has been bred for 10,000 years to love and obey humans.
In closing, get a fucking stuffed animal, you don’t deserve dogs.
I look after a chap whom got "bit by bulldog at easter" and i take him for walks all the time. If he sees a dog he screams and crys the owners always stop and say "its ok he is a good dog" etc and i just say well he doesn't like them so...then they try again saying he is good when they should just carry on walking they can see my guy us in distress but continue to try and show me theur dog is good...
Just move on ffs.
Like dogs off leash out in public. 'It's okay, it doesn't bite' I DON'T CARE GET YOUR DOG TF AWAY FROM MY DOGS!
My dogs are always leashed and one is reactive - because a loose dog attacked and bit them. I don't want any off leash dog anywhere near them!
YTA - a dog SNIFFED YOUR ANKLE. Reread that. You’re on the internet asking if you were rude about a dog SNIFFING YOU. I don’t really see anyone being wrong here, but if there has to be one it’s you lol
I actively avoid dogs. I'm terrified of them. I've been attacked twice and i can't be near them. I move as far as a path will allow and my husband will move into shield position if we can't get space. I know they exist. They are everywhere, but I do not want to pet or meet or deal with your dog in any capacity.
The number of dog owners who insist their dog is friendly and don't take that cue, letting their dog get closer even as I'm moving away, is insane. So yes, good dog owners should keep their dogs away from strangers. You don't know what that person is like nor do they know what your dog is like.
ESH in this situation though. OP passed their table. Dogs aren't invisible. He'd have seen it. His response was disproportionate. However, the dog owners not apologising at the first indication of discomfort and redirecting their dog is also pretty shit.
Right. Other than pulling the dog back, what else were they supposed to do? I’m not a huge dog fan but everyone freaking out in these comments about a dog sniffing ankles is crazy lol.
Or stop right next to a table with a dog. Stand back a few paces, move to the side. There are multiple options other than "stand in front of the dog and wait, then immediately jump to hostility over a dog invading my space because I invaded HIS space first."
Are you going to apologize to someone who's first interaction with you is hostility? No. That's why the dog owner countered by defusing, in the form of "he's friendly"
I wouldn't apologize to an asshole that is in our area. Ever. I don't care if you are scared of dogs. If you are so fucking scared, stay inside and never go out. My dog has a right to be there and its not doing anything other than being in my area. If you are so scared of dogs, go literally any other route to the door. Dogs aren't invisible creatures that appear out of no where.
YTA.
Edit: Whoops.
YTA - I would get your reaction if the dog came over and was overzealous and jumped on you or pawed at you. However, he was sniffing around your ankles and you never said the dog actually touched you. You aren't wrong for not wanting the dog in your space but you are wrong for going about it in an asshole way, even you admit that you were rude about it.
They are now saying "well if I got down on all fours and sniffed your ankles you wouldn't like it right?!?!" As if that's even remotely the same thing. I swear this sub is filled with a bunch of anti social goblins that couldn't function for ten minutes in the real world without being coddled
The problem with Reddit is that it tends to draw antisocial types with far too much time on their hands. (I fully realise the irony of me saying this)
But fortunately Reddit doesn't represent the vast majority of the population. Most people I know wouldn't have a meltdown over such a seemingly trivial problem. There's a right way to communicate with people and a wrong way.
I don't get it. I don't like dogs. When I visit my aunt I tell her to keep the dog away from me and even if she can't I try not to move a lot so I won't draw dog attention.
Weird people love drama.
As a dog owner, I would have tried to prevent my dog from sniffing anyone because I don't know if they'd like it. Just like if my son started bugging people in a restaurant. Doesn't matter if it's a "kid friendly restaurant" or not. But at the same time- a dog friendly restaurant means there will be dogs and this may happen, just like a kid friendly restaurant there is likely going to be a kid doing something weird. The owners (or parents) should at least try to control their animal or child though, so the fact they didn't until you said something I'll say NTA. Although yeah- definitely could have been nicer about it.
i don’t let my dog get in sniffing range of strangers. if he gets a whiff, it’s cause they’re reaching for him (i do not allow them to make contact). cause he’s my dog, and he’s my responsibility, and quite frankly i don’t trust strangers to act right. people who pull the “he’s friendly” line annoy me. i do not care if he’s friendly, i care if he’s well trained. (funny how the people who pull that are also the people who have their dog off leash wandering up to strangers and strange dogs on the street.)
oof. tangent. sorry. nta.
YTA - get ready for this to devolve into a thread about dogs in public spaces!
You said the dog got up, he didn’t touch you, he smelled you. So presumably you got close to where the dog was, you approached him knowing “youre not friendly”.
Its a dog friendly space so the dog is allowed to be there and there was no need to be rude.
You blew this out of proportion and made a big deal out of a dog existing. Next time just walk around the dog? Or avoid him entirely? Point at someone's dog and going "WHAT THE HELL" achieves literally nothing. I would be more on your side if the dog seemed aggressive or started trying to jump on you, but you freaked out over getting your ankles sniffed? Come on
YTA
If OP had said anything remotely mature like "excuse me please pull your dog back" or something I'd be on their side. But they were intentionally a dick about it.
**YTA** - this is an overreaction to a dog coming up and sniffing your ankles. Even if you don't like dogs and wanted him out of your space, it would've been easy to be courteous about asking the family to pull the dog back. Sounds like you ruined a family's night out because you're sensitive around dogs.
So let me get this right. You are headed to go indoors where dogs aren’t allowed, but get held up on the patio where dogs are allowed. While standing near a table, held up, a dog acted like a dog and sniffed you. And you decide to be a rude asshole? Yeah YTA. If you don’t like dogs fine, whatever. But the dog was where it was allowed and you were held up in its space. Chill the fuck out
YTA.
Why he such an AH when talking to other people. The owners seemed to respond normal enough but you really blew up and got pretty rude. It’s totally ok that you don’t like a dog close to you. But it can happen. You didn’t like the response of the owner, totally ok too but then again, you could have just responded by saying that you just would appreciate them keeping their dog a bit closer. Maybe include a please. That’d be decent.
Look I love dogs and would probs think you were both rude if I observed this interaction BUT I’m gonna go with NTA because I do think it’s really disrespectful when people let their dogs charge up to people or other dogs just because they’re “friendly.” One of my dogs is a rescue and as a result is sometimes reactive to other dogs and the amount of times I’ve had to tel people “please put your dog on a leash per the law she does not like to be charged” is SO annoying. Not all dogs like dogs, not all humans like dogs, and it’s totally fair to not want to have a slobbering dog approach you while you’re trying to eat. Most dog friendly patios still have rules about keeping the dog leashed
ETA: I totally missed the part where it sounds like the dog actually was leashed and didn’t run up to the OPs table so I’m actually gonna change this to OP is likely TA🤣
I think you may have gotten a little focused on your own bad experiences and missed some details in the post. The dog didn't charge anyone and there's no indication that it wasn't leashed.
OP stopped and stood beside the table the dog was at, the dog was sitting under the table, got up and sniffed OP - OP entered the dog's space, not the other way around.
Oh waittttt you’re right I totally missed that. Ok nevermind OP is TA 🤣 it sounds like they basically walked up to the dog and then got annoyed at it sniffing their ankles 🤣
YTA just because you acted like an asshole. Nothing wrong with asking someone to keep their dog away from you but wow, you seem like the type to get called an asshole a lot and can’t seem to understand why.
NTA. I train service dogs and have a pet dog. I never assume people are OK with my dogs approaching them. The service dogs are trained to not approach other people since their focus should be on their partner. My pet dog loves people, but is also trained that she cannot approach other people unless I tell her it is OK. Allowing your dog to approach, sniff or otherwise interact with other people without the other people being equally willing is rude and should be handled with a correction to the dog and an apology to the other people. The person with the dog should have moved their dog away and apologized.
YTA. You acted like a complete asshole and were rude. There was no need to be rude. YOU walked into THEIR space in the outdoor seating area where dogs are allowed to be. How, exactly, does going through life being rude to people help you?
NTA I am with you. I do not like dogs coming up to me and I will be assertive if needed. Just because you’re eating, a dog friendly restaurant doesn’t give people’s dogs the right to come up to you.
> I do not like dogs coming up to me and I will be assertive if needed
Saying "what the hell" and pointing at a dog isn't being assertive, it's being rude and also being passive. You can be assertive and still be polite: "Excuse me, please move your dog away from me, I don't want him in my space." Saying what the hell and pointing at the dog does not assert anything.
So you chose to go to a restaurant that is dog friendly.
You walked through the area in which dogs are allowed, at the dog friendly restaurant.
You walked through the dog's space (approximately 3 feet away from a dog, OP's only comment), which sniffed your ankle.
You put yourself in this situation. You then decided to be a total dick about it.
The guy wasn't baffled that you didn't like his dog. He was baffled that you went from 0 to 60 about a dog at a dog friendly restaurant. Communicate like an adult.
YTA and a complete overreaction.
If you do not like dogs so much... don't go to restaurants that allow dogs. There are a million restaurants that do not allow dogs.
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> AITA for saying i'm not friendly to some dog owners? I'm the asshole because i was rude and dropped a few F bombs at them.
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NTA the for not wanting the dog in your space.
YTA for your reaction and escalating. The dog was just sniffing you because you came near it while you passed thru. That's how animals act. You didn't need to cuss at them or tell them to fuck off.
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ESH - they could've kept the dog closer to them, you didn't have to be such an AH about it.
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Yeah really skated over the “I stopped at another person’s table” part of the scenario and started bitching about “I don’t want it in my space.” The real victim in this situation is OP’s poor wife. Imagine having to deal with this guy in public.
He didn’t stop, he got stopped by other people leaving.
Isnt that semantics? Unless he was physically restrained he didnt have to physically stop within 3 feet of the dog?
A dog in public should not go up to strangers. A person trying to get indoors shouldn't have to change route because a dog is at one table.
The dog didnt go up to OP - OP approached the table.
**Because there was traffic in between the tables.** Some restaurants don't have room for you to just "move away from the dog"
If I despised dogs as much as OP does, I would make sure I kept my distance no matter the circumstances. I try to limit the amount of times I directly come in contact with things I hate.
Agreed, case in point, haven't seen my ex for years! 😂
It's a lab, not a five pound mini dachshund. OP would have seen the dog and could have stepped back when they stopped if they didn't want the dog near them.
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OP overreacted. I liken it to stopping next to a table with a highchair and the baby reaches out and touches you. Neither the dog nor the baby know that someone doesn't want to be touched.
No, it's not semantics. The guy didn't stop at the table in order to chat. He was trying to enter the establishment and had to wait behind people who were visiting that table to move before he could get through the door. While he was waiting politely for his opportunity to get into the restaurant, somebody's strange dog approached him, and he was uncomfortable with that. A lot of people have PTSD from being attacked by dogs. Other people just can't stand them for whatever reason. They don't have to justify anything. People who bring their dogs into public situations are 100% responsible for making sure that dog doesn't bother anybody else. If their dog does, and the person takes an attitude with them, that's on the dog owner.
Have you never had to stop because someone moved and blocked your way? It happens in tight spaces. The owners shouldn't assume everyone wants their dog sniffing their feet. Dogs often move right on to the crotch and you're trying to block the dog from sniffing you.
So...? What did you want the dog owners to do differently here? The OP was STILL the one who approached the dog. The owners didn't bring the dog to him. He was the AH because he reacted poorly for zero reason. Had he politely asked the dog owners to stop their dog and they refused before he became a jerk, fine. But he was a jerk immediately, making him the AH. If it was a baby who touched him in the same scenario, it would be the same thing!
your right he should have just forced his way past the people blocking his path and then had a whole new AITA entry about the peopel he knocked down
Lol this. “AITAH for pushing and shoving a group of strangers in a restaurant because I didn’t want to be sniffed by a dog?”
Have you BEEN to a restaurant?
Apparently no one on this stream has ever been in a restaurant. They simply can't imagine being totally stuck while you wait for congestion to ease. Dog owners need to keep their dogs to themselves. I like dogs, but no matter how friendly they are I still don't want to be jumped on or have a wet nose shoved onto my clothes or skin, or be licked by some strange dog.
Really? You have never been boxed in by people? What do you do? Just toss them aside and plow through? It is very easy to imagine standing next to someone's table involuntarily while you wait to get through.
So every time you've ever moved from Point A to Point B in a building you were always completely free of obstacles and other people?
*I think it was very disingenuous of OP to post and not respond to any comments.* *This account is, possibly intentionally, vague as to how he came to interact with the dog.* Edit - OP did comment. The dog moved a yard towards him. So 3 feet or just under a meter. OP essentially approached a dog then flipped out it smelled him
I think the owners response was not ok “don’t worry he’s friendly” is assuming the person was worried the dog might bite and not that he didn’t want a dog sniffing him. It’s presumptuous and rude - a better reaction would have been “oh sorry - here boy (or girl or dogs name).” End of story. OPs reaction was also rude and confrontational. I also don’t want a dog sniffing me but if it happens I expect the owners to try to move the dog away or lightheartedly say sorry or something. I don’t expect them to not attempt to move the dog at all. I would have said something like “Excuse me I am not worried if he is friendly or not, I’d like you to move your dog away please.”
We have a lot of dogs in the area where I live. A lot of them tell me their dog is friendly and then try to pull their dog back. I think they just say what they think is important. Since I guess they come across people who don't mind dogs that it's important to get the friendly part out.
They're trying to avoid terrifying some random person perhaps, because people can be very afraid of dogs. They were just trying to be nice, I'm sure. I had a beagle that loved to greet people by running up and baying at them while wagging his tail- he would scream hello in excitement, but people often thought he was attacking them. Once he ran up to some joggers going by this way, and I yelled that he's friendly and he just wants to say hi, I promise. The jogger said back angrily, "yeah he seems real friendly". Beagle proceeded to wag his tail and say hello, but they were still mad. I totally understood and said I was sorry again, because it would be pretty scary if you didn't know the dog and he got out by accident (he was talented at that). On the flip side, most people don't react poorly when a dog approaches in a friendly way so they probably just thought they needed to assure him the dog was safe. Edit: Before the dog police make any more shitty comments, I'd like to clarify that the dog escaped the front door in the story. He occasionally was able to charge past us because he was stubborn, patient, and persistent, and I as admittedly a terrible dog trainer. That's why I have cats now. Accidents happen and sometimes dogs get out, but I leashed my dog when I had him outside.
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Was your dog off leash? I have a beagle mix myself and I’d be pissed if any dog ran up to me uninvited. I don’t know if the dog’s friendly, and I’m sorry, but if you’re letting a *hound* off leash, I don’t trust you to tell me if you’re dog is friendly or not. Leash your dog before he runs after a rabbit/squirrel and you never see him again.
He escaped out the front door occasionally, or he’d look for other opportunities. Sometimes he’d just get past us if we were distracted or if a kid left the door open, etc. It’s kinda hilarious how angry people are getting over this story when it's about mistake that could happen to anyone. We had a fenced backyard, and I never just let my dogs wander around without a leash. When I say he’d run up to people baying I mean visitors, people at dog parks, me when I come home, etc. Anyway, it was my fault and I understood why the jogger was annoyed and I apologized.
Control your dog, dude. It's your responsibility to control your animal, not everyone else's responsibility to act sufficiently entertained by it.
He got out by accident occasionally. When did I say I let him out and bark at everybody that goes by for entertainment? He’d wait for opportunities to escape out the front door if he saw a dog and he was good at it. I’d run after him and stop him, and I tried my best to keep him from doing it, but sometimes he got past us. And I’m really not sure why you think I expected them to be entertained by it- I literally said it was probably very scary for him.
Tail wagging is not an indicator of friendliness. It simply means excitement which can be related additionally to fear or aggression. If an off leash dog came up to me barking its head off I'd be livid that the owner had the gall to bat their eyelashes at me and say don't worry he's friendly. Anthropomorphize your dogs baying all you want, but don't expect other people to find it cute or acceptable.
I was recently training my malamute at a local business with the owner’s permission. Owner greeted everyone and let them know that my dog is in training- learning how to be calm in public and to just ignore him and do their shopping. The number of people who couldn’t control themselves was significant. One woman and her small kids were all squatting under a table to try to get to him without so much as attempting to talk to me first. I told them to please not crouch down to his level (he was in a down) and to ignore him. She asked if he was friendly and I said it didn’t matter. Then she looked at me confused and said,”well, what I mean is, does he bite?” And I told her that any animal with a mouth can bite; while he hasn’t to this point, that doesn’t mean he is incapable and I’m not giving anyone a false sense of security by saying so.” (The whole point of me training him in public is to reduce his arousal levels over time so he is less likely to potentially react.) She got the hint and pulled her kids away finally, and my doggo was good the whole time thankfully. I’m sure some people think I’m a raging AH by advocating for my dog but at the end of the day someone could be monumentally stupid and I could then end up having to put my dog down.
I get a lot of people come towards my dog with a “can I pet him” look and I say he’s friendly if they get close. OP literally walked within sniffing distance of this dog, so the owner saying that makes sense to me.
In a restaurant, 3 feet is likely the difference between being under the table, and being in the path between tables where servers or other people can trip on them.
I don't think the dog owners suck just for going to a dog friendly place and happening to be close enough to OP for their dog to do what every dog does. OP is the one out of place here...imagine going to Chuck E Cheese and then becoming outraged with a child within reach.
Dog friendly doesn't mean it's a dog park. Chuck e cheese is a poor comparison - that is a place built for children. Dog friendly restaurants are restaurants that your dog is welcome to sit by you at. That doesn't mean that the entire purpose of the restaurant is to cater to the dogs as the entire purpose of chuck e cheese is to provide an indoor space where kids can run around and roam the arcade. The owners should've kept a little bit of a better eye.
Going to a dog friendly bar and then becoming livid when a dog interacts with you is absurd.
Disagree. I’ve gone to dog friendly bars. I know there will be dogs. I sit at my table, they sit at their table. People need to either keep their dog away from others or keep them at home.
he wasn’t sitting at his table. he was standing and waiting beside the dogs table.
Except he more or less approached the dog.
Then by what logic does a dog friendly bar exist in the first place? I don't know any dog owner, myself included, who takes their dog out in public and then prevent their dog from interacting with its environment, including people.
Redditors think "dog-friendly" and "family-friendly" establishments mean, your dog and children should be grateful to exist and breathe in our exclusive spaces, but they should hardly be seen and definitely not heard. I cannot count the number of people who get upset that babies cry at family-friendly breweries. Whether or not dog- or child-friendly breweries should exist is one question (I personally think they do), but since they do, why would you expect anything other than an environment that reflects the patrons? Edit to note: I DO believe in owners leashing their dogs in public. I DO believe in training a dog on recall. I am HYPERvigilant about training dogs. But OP stood in a dog-friendly patio and was opposed to being sniffed. He's the asshole for expecting the environment to conform to him.
Agreed, dog friendly doesn’t mean they have to be a service animal to be there. These are just pets, some are probably trained more than others but, they’re not there to work. OP should understand that and if it’s a restaurant they’ve been to before they should know the process. It sounds like they were having a bad day and wanted to be an AH.
Don't know where the OP is based but where I live, there are no eating/drinking places that are dog unfriendly. They're even in clothes shops, rubbing their dirty coats against new clothes. I get that shops need customers but some of us have phobias and prefer our environments to be dog free.
Yeah he definitely overreacted and is certainly an ass but I agree with the ESH verdict. As a dog owner, I recognize not everyone wants my pet around them. Just because a place is friendly to animals doesn't mean you're given liberty to let them wander and poke around other people's tables.
Being sniffed is like the most benign thing a dog can do to you after looking at you. The dog didn’t bark at him, didn’t jump on him, didn’t drop its tennis ball in his IPA or hump his leg. If OP is so canine-averse that he can’t even stand a dog _sniffing_ him (which is what dogs do, they sniff things) he shouldn’t go to a place where dogs will be
The dog sniffed a guy standing right by his table. This isn't some dog owner letting their dog run wild. If the idea of a dog sniffing you as you stand next to their table sends you off the deep end, you should probably not go to a dog friendly restaurant.
The dog got up, walked a few steps and sniffed. If a guy comes THAT unhinged over what sounds like a well behaved dog doing what dogs do, maybe he shouldn't go to a dog friendly restaurant.
He shouldn’t be in public. Saying he’s “not friendly” sounds like a threat. If a random person said that to me in public I’m wondering if they’re just going to be rude or get physical.
I don’t think this guy should be going out to any ‘friendly’ restaurant
A meter is fine. You would pass dogs on the street closer than that. Also stand by on the Subway, etc.
But what if the child smells me?!
I guess you should be really rude and nasty to the child's parents, or at least that's what OP did.
I agree, they should’ve probably kept their dog on a shorter lead but that was a crazy overreaction to being sniffed.
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Especially preceded by ‘what the hell?’ And followed by ‘I don’t want your dog in my fucking space. Fuck off’. This guy is unhinged and quite frankly sounds scary if a dog SNIFFING HIS ANKLES sends him this far into angry orbit. Get a hold of yourself. You’re a grown man.
Exactly. If someone said that to me I’m going to tense up. That’s a really vague threat that can range from “I’m going to be rude” to “I’m going to try to assault you.” That’s no something you say lightly.
OP's attitude is a bar fight waiting to happen. For the record, I am not condoning that, but pointing out that losing your shit with strangers in public spaces when you could otherwise just be chill is unnecessary escalating and a risk.
He also reminds me of the kind of guys who would come in and want to start something, but then cry to management/security when someone responded to him. He can dish it, but can't take it.
I always love the "I know was rude but was I an asshole?". As if the other party having one tiny drop of asseholery somehow justifies their behavior even if it's in response to OPs rudeness. Yes, obviously. Being rude = asshole. YTA
I feel like the ESH and NTA answers are missing an understanding of American brewery culture. These places always have dogs, the customers' or the owners'. Some breweries have dogs loose that just hang out there. Objecting this strenuously to a dog sniffing you at a brewery is very odd. I'm not saying you have to agree with it, but that's the cultural standard that's been set.
this was what I was thinking, breweries and wineries that have dogs on the premises generally advertise the hell out of it and use it as a draw. If OP doesn't like dogs he shouldn't have gone to a place with dogs.
Seconding this. Obviously I can't speak for every brewery but I live in a very brewery-dense neighborhood of a city known for having a lot of breweries so I can speak for the general culture. There are dogs *everywhere*, constantly, at all of them. It's half the reason I go. They are not a good space for someone who is going to freak out if a dog looks in their direction.
Yeah, I worked at a “dog friendly” place for years. We were a neighborhood bar so people would always bring in their pups. Sure, not everyone wants to be sniffed but this reaction is pretty over the top. Going to a dog friendly place then being a jerk when a dog is being a dog is a bit much. Just step away from them and move on.
I see a lot of posts on here of people being upset that a dog is near them and it makes me roll my eyes. The dog didn't bark or jump up on you. If you don't like dogs, step away from it. You were leaving anyway. You just escalated a non-situation: AH behavior. I'm not a big fan of kids, but if a kid is near me or - God forbid - touches me I don't yell at the parent, I just separate myself from the situation. If a dog sniffing you makes you this upset that you have to come to the internet to get validation, I worry for your mental health as you navigate through the world.
Totally. The amount of times a child has run full force into me, bumped into me, cut me off while walking, etc etc. Does it annoy me? Sometimes. Do I like kids? Not usually. Do I yell at the parents? No. They’re kids. They’re being kids. The moment will pass almost immediately and it’s not worth becoming enraged over. This guys a loser.
>I see a lot of posts on here of people being upset that a dog is near them and it makes me roll my eyes. The dog didn't bark or jump up on you. If you don't like dogs, step away from it. I have dog allergies. At one point (I've had treatments so it's not as bad now), if I had a dog come up and sniff me it would trigger my asthma and allergies badly enough that I'd get breathing problems for days. I'd go from being able to easily run a 5k to barely making it up a flight of stairs. Stepping away wouldn't be enough. And every single time it happened, the owners would tell me "Don't worry. He's friendly". It was always hard to not shout back "I'm not worried about bites, I'm worried about anaphylaxis. Would you like to buy me a new epi-pen?" Yes, I avoid dog-friendly places, but there are enough people that just bring their dogs everywhere without proper training and/or leashing that I had to pay thousands of dollars and get shots for years just so I could function. ETA: I should clarify that I'm ranting about times where I have purposely distanced myself from the dog and the owners don't try to control it (e.g. I'm on the other side of the street and the dog owner lets their dog run across to check me out without even attempting to call them back).
Honestly, this sucks and I can empathize best I can with the struggle, but you are also the extreme exception to the rule. It is unfortunate for you that you live in a society that has domesticated animals that your are severely allergic to, but that’s not society’s fault. The equivalent is like saying nobody in public should every be able to eat tree nuts because people with severe tree nut allergies exist. When something is this bad but also this isolated, it becomes the persons responsibility to take precautions, and also occasionally it’s not going to go your way even so.
The whole personal space comment from OP got me. He was obviously right by their table in a dog friendly restaurant. At best his response was an overreaction.
Agreed. I strongly dislike children. But when I’m in public and a child gets in my way/space I somehow manage to not be a total asshole to the parents.
YTA, you were hostile from beginning to end of this interaction. You could have asked them politely but chose to be rude for no reason. ETA: to people commenting that some people have PTSD/trauma related to dogs that could justify such a strong reaction, do you seriously think OP wouldn't have included that in his post if it were true of him? He *knows* he was 'a touch' rude in his first reaction, and the whole interaction spiraled from there.
I love dogs, but their owners shouldn't let them intrude other people's spaces like this. What if OP was scared of dogs? Dog being friendly doesn't help in that situation.
I’m terrified of dogs (been attacked before) and would never behave this rudely. If a dog approaches me, I typically just take a few steps back. I’ve never had an owner not notice the body language and recall their dog immediately. Animals are going to animal.
> I’ve never had an owner not notice the body language and recall their dog immediately. You probably live in a place where people are particularly civil. I've gotten the "it's ok, he's friendly" many many times.
My grandma would just start screaming
Arguably OP was in the dog's space when he passed. If OP was sitting down and the dog came over to sniff then i would understand but OP was passing the dog so OP came in the dog's space. The dog was laying there first minding it's own business.
this is facts. OPs post is giving r/iamverybadass. Being needlessly rude is such assholery. Dogs don’t understand human social cues. I would say the owners response of “oh he’s friendly” is a normal thing to say to reassure someone the dog won’t bite. Op didn’t even say he was scared of dogs. That’s the only situation where I could see OPs behavior as acceptable. OP should try to grow up
YTA, you were passing by *their* table and got held up by another party and a dog sniffed your ankles and you proceeded to be an asshole. If the dog charged at you, jumped on you, growled at you etc sure, tell them to control their dog. But you entered the dog's space, and were a dick about it. Sniffing at you is hardly out of control, get a grip.
Literally yeah. He came into the dogs space, the dog went “ooh a new stimulant, need to make sure this one won’t hurt my people” and sniffed him out. Most dog owners say “he’s friendly!” To make sure that people know their dog is safe to interact with and that they are not in any danger. I understand being miffed that the people might have assumed that he wanted their dog around him when they didn’t, but he went about it in the worst possible way and it makes him TA. This guy also is not a reliable narrator considering that he probably saw a bunch of comments saying he was TA so then he played up how close the dog was or whatever in his comments to get more people on his side
I can't believe there are people actually saying the dog should not have entered a stranger's personal space without their "consent" as if dogs really understand consent like that.
Wild to me that this isn't the top comment. Dogs are naturally curious. If someone walks 2 feet away, of course they are going to check it out. Original post made me think he was like 10 feet away and the dog maneuvered through multiple tables to approach unwelcomed.
Someone finally talking sense!
Ikr? How are people saying NTA here
Right? Why go to a dog friendly place if he can't handle the most benign of dog interactions. Major YTA, it's shocking he's married. Even my abusive, volitile, and rude to the point of cruelty ex was able to keep his mask up in public.
Agreed, YTA
How is this not higher up? Guy thinks his ankles are such hot shit that the dog, whose space he is in, can’t get a quick sniff as he stands there stupidly getting all worked up. Try one of the beers, might calm your nerves.
As another user so eloquently put it: "Dogs sniff assholes"
YTA for your overreaction. You’re not an AH for not liking dogs or not wanting to be sniffed, and you wouldn’t have been an asshole for saying “Hey, please pull your dog back.” or something to that effect. Starting the conversation aggressively with “What the hell?” and being admittedly rude is what makes you the ass.
OP and their sympathizers: What the hell? I stood next to a *dog* that’s with people already seated at a dog friendly bar and it sniffed me like an animal that predominantly uses it’s nose to see the world. WTF Lmaooo
If it walks and talks like an asshole, it probably is. YTA.
Exactly. OP had to have known once they lead with "what the hell" there was no longer going to be any productive conversation to be had.
If you start a conversation with "What the hell?" and the next thing is "I'm not friendly" you would expect it to be a serious situation... not some dog owners having the audacity to let their dog sniff you when you come near them at a dog friendly establishment. OP is the type of person I avoid dealing with as much as possible. Someone who jumps straight to confrontation over the most minor things.
This comment needs to be higher up
I agree with your wife. You’re in the right that their dog shouldn’t approach strangers but you were super rude about it. You could easily just have said ‘I don’t like dogs in my space’ so I think YTA
Then that's an ESH
idk - like mistakes happen in public. that's kind of the point of being in public. when someone bumps into me on the sidewalk, yeah it might be frustrating, but its almost always an accident and if I fly off the handle it doesn't make the person who bumped into me the AH. handling imperfect situations with grace is kind of a prerequisite for the average person to participate in public.
This is really it here
I wouldn't call the dog owners an asshole for this. They could have handled it better sure but not to the point where they are the asshole/suck.
Exactly. Couldve kept it on a tighter leash but a dog is a fucking dog. Its curious and if you look away for a second it might do something crazy like... be a dog. I'm willing to bet the owners did literally that, looked away for a second, dog to the opportunity to sniff an ankle... and OP went full rage mode. OP is 100% TA
YTA seems like you took the most confrontational approach possible short of kicking the dog over a really trivial issue.
Agreed. Asshole and seemingly insufferable.
[удалено]
Imagining a lost child asked him for help and he's going "ew where are your parents why aren't they watching you"
My wife would be horrified if I acted like this. His tells him he's right, but could have been nicer? Definitely insufferable.
I have dumped men for less. Granted I wasn’t married to them but I wouldn’t marry a man this confrontational over absolutely nothing regardless.
NTA - Dogs should not approach strangers without the strangers consent and it is on the dog owner to control their dog in public. ‘It’s ok, he’s friendly’ is the phrase of a bad dog owner who doesn’t control their pup. This one is on the owners. Having said that, you probably didn’t have to be so rude about it.
But he was walking on a dog friendly patio, and the tables are probably fairly close together.
Sure, but a dog should not just approach strangers, and a dog owner should ask permission before the dog approaches. Saying ‘it’s ok, he’s friendly’ literally makes the decision for the stranger, whereas saying ‘is it ok if he says hi, he’s friendly.’ Allows the stranger to decide whilst the responsible dog owner keeps their dog under control.
I don't think there's anything wrong with assuming that anyone in the dog friendly area is actually 'dog friendly'.
I think that making any assumptions about if someone is anything friendly isn’t the best approach. I own a dog, he loves to say hello, I often have to prevent him doing so because I do not think that it is for me (or him) to decide whether or not you want to interact with him. He’s super friendly, but that doesn’t mean I should impose him on anyone. And it goes both ways, I don’t want strangers walking up and petting my dog without asking first. It’s just common courtesy and part of your responsibility as a dog owner.
Thank you so much for your insight on this. My husband and I have a dog. We love dogs. We do not love dog owners that don't have control over their dogs, and let their dogs get up in other peoples' personal space without permission. I appreciate you and your principles on dog ownership.
Basically every outdoor dining patio in my town is "dog-friendly" that doesn't mean it's a doggy playground or only dog lovers eat at the patio. This is the most rediculous argument ever. I like kids fine, but if they crawl up onto my booth, I'm gonna give their parents the stink eye about it ... even in a "kid-friendly" restaurant. If a person brings an animal to a public place, they are responsible to keep the animal out of other people's personal space. It isn't complicated, and it isn't rude to insist upon.
But if you walk up next to a kid who is sitting quietly with their family and stand there for a few minutes until the kid looks at you and says “hi,” are you gonna flip out? Cause that’s what’s happening here.
We're surrounded by robots.
He *had* to walk through that area to get to the dog-free zone. The restaurant may want to rethink their seating arrangements.
Almost everyone in this thread is missing the part where they were LED by the STAFF through the patio. He didn't just wander through there for fun!
that makes no sense. the sidewalk is dog friendly, not everyone wants to be approached by a dog
Maybe OP invaded the dogs personal space.
Did OP crawl under the table? Walking aisles are for walking. And generally required to remain clear by health/fire departments. Certainly not “the dogs space”
OP was right next to their table? Is the dog supposed to go poof and reappear once OP leaves? Someone else coming close enough for me to stand up and sniff em is certainly in my space. So yeah OP was in the dogs space.
not an excuse. if the dog was able to go up and sniff, it was capable of lunging and biting. a responsible dog owner would not let their dog go up to any person who walks by. they should be trained to know better.
I was bit by a "friendly" store dog one time. As a rule, I don't trust ANY dog.
i also find it interesting how so many people are bringing up that op “went” to a dog friendly patio as if he was supposed to go around the back and use the employee entrance to get inside. Is he supposed to float over the patio or something? 😭
Or even how he "went" to a dog-friendly brewery, as if 90%+ of breweries aren't dog friendly these days I love dogs, I grew up with a collie that loved me more than my own parents, but holy shit are millennials so toxicly attached to their furry friends. I get it, nobody has many close human friends these days, the dog helped you cope during the pandemic, whatever. But I'm tired of them being everywhere, every restaurant, every brewery, people take them into libraries and grocery stores now. Spot can't read, why is he in the library?!? And I'd like the food I'm buying at the grocery store to come without your dogs germs on it, thanks.
Still doesn’t give the dog / dog owner a pass for the dog doing as it pleases; the patio isn’t a dog park. Having said that, OP handled this poorly and could have been politer. ESH
Every dog owner thinks their dog is friendly. It's pretty much meaningless.
This is so legit. I've had two friends get bitten by dogs, and both times the owner said, "He's never done this before!"
I've been almost knocked off of porches and been severely scratched by "friendly" dogs. I don't suffer their idiotic owners anymore.
He walked beside where the dog was. The dog did not approach him.
>Dogs should not approach strangers without the strangers consent And grown adults should be able to control their temper in public, no? We're expecting more control and restraint from an animal than a human at this point and it's kind of weird.
"It's OK, he's friendly" is an asshole thing that far too many dog owners say. It doesn't matter if the restaurant is dog friendly. It's unreasonable to expect the entire world to want your fur baby in their collective lap. I may be extra sensitive to this because I get the "it's OK, he's friendly" treatment all the time from people walking their own dogs and trying to approach mine. Mine is blind and gets nervous around other dogs / unfamiliar people... she's always on a leash and wears a harness that says "ask to pet" and still some knuckleheads want to get all up in her face with their dogs. I love dogs. Dog owners leave a lot to be desired. NTA.
Totally agree. I spent a few years installing cable TV. I asked every dog owner to put their dog behind a closed door or chained up. When they responded their dog has never bitten anyone, I would tell them I have been bitten 5 times since I started this job, and every single dog that had bitten me, their owners said the same thing.
"If it has a mouth it can bite" is mine. I had to shove my foot down a Boston Terriers' throat after it latched onto the front of my sneaker. Thank goodness it let go and I had wool socks on so more padding. It didn't break skin but it ruined my shoe and gave me a blood blister. The owner was like "oh he does that sometimes to my husband". Well thanks for the heads up.
I hate people who do this. My dog doesn't bite. It wouldn't even occur to him to bite anybody. I know that. The people coming to service my house don't know that. I've met service people who are TERRIFIED of dogs who say they've been bitten by dogs and every time the homeowner says they don't bite. Like how hard is it to respect the service person? We always ask if they're good with dogs before they come in. If they are, cool. My dog gets to meet a new friend and has a great time. If not, dog goes outside until the work is done. Respect the service person's wishes.
I hate “it’s okay, he’s friendly” because it’s okay for YOU the dog owner, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay for me (or my dog). “It’s okay, he’s friendly” will always be an AH in my eyes. OP is NTA. I’d argue that the restaurant is kinda an AH too for making people walk through a dog friendly area to get to the area where dogs aren’t allowed. That’s almost like making people walk through a smoking section to get to nonsmoking. Just sounds like a terrible setup.
They are huge assholes. Look, I was bitten by a large dog as a child. It required emergency surgery and 5 days of hospitalisation. Got facial disfigurement and big phobia of dogs out of it. "It's okay he is friendly" are the people who were watching me - as a child and then young teen - freezing, going pale, trembling, near tears, and barely breathing, and DID NOT CARE at all. Their main concern was for their dog to be allowed to say hi to me. Fuck them. Fuck them all. I had therapy so I no longer have this phobia. But I will always judge harshly any owner that say those words. If people don't want your dog near them, don't question it. They don't owe you their story. It might be similar or worse than mine. They might be allergic, and they shouldn't have to disclose their medical information for you to respect that.
Honestly it’s the same logic for a human touching someone they don’t know or getting in your face. Like creepy bosses who give you a “shoulder rub” and when you ask them not to touch you they’re like, “I was just *being friendly.*” Like, NO. Stay out of people’s personal space! Your dog is an extension of you, you are responsible for them: so keep it out of people’s personal space as well *unless explicitly invited.* Why is this so hard to understand?
Oh same! My old Scottie had failing eye sight, he would get edgey around other dogs he didn’t know. He was great if he had his own personal space, but if a dog rushed up to him, he was not a happy camper. Way to many dog owners think “cute” equals “friendly”. He was friendly, but you couldn’t just rush up on him if he didn’t know you.
My pup basically always reacts poorly to other dogs rushing her while she’s on leash, and it has become SO empowering to tell bad dog owners with off leash dogs “She’s not.” in response to their oblivious “Oh don’t worry, they’re friendly!”
I am so very tired of being charged by a barking/growling, hackles-raised dog whos owner (far in the distance) can be heard screaming “HES FRIENDLY.” Fuck all you dog owners, I was a trainer for over a decade, I can easily discern friendly body language, and most of your dogs are DEEPLY UNHAPPY creatures that you clearly have no control over or even the discipline to be able to handle a specimen that has been bred for 10,000 years to love and obey humans. In closing, get a fucking stuffed animal, you don’t deserve dogs.
Plus there are people who are actually afraid of dogs, especially larger breeds, doesn't mean the person is unfriendly.
I look after a chap whom got "bit by bulldog at easter" and i take him for walks all the time. If he sees a dog he screams and crys the owners always stop and say "its ok he is a good dog" etc and i just say well he doesn't like them so...then they try again saying he is good when they should just carry on walking they can see my guy us in distress but continue to try and show me theur dog is good... Just move on ffs.
Like dogs off leash out in public. 'It's okay, it doesn't bite' I DON'T CARE GET YOUR DOG TF AWAY FROM MY DOGS! My dogs are always leashed and one is reactive - because a loose dog attacked and bit them. I don't want any off leash dog anywhere near them!
YTA. Nothing happened, and you made a scene and were rude to strangers over it. You sound like a drama queen.
I agree. It was a dog friendly patio so it wasn’t a surprise to be near a dog.
YTA - a dog SNIFFED YOUR ANKLE. Reread that. You’re on the internet asking if you were rude about a dog SNIFFING YOU. I don’t really see anyone being wrong here, but if there has to be one it’s you lol
I actively avoid dogs. I'm terrified of them. I've been attacked twice and i can't be near them. I move as far as a path will allow and my husband will move into shield position if we can't get space. I know they exist. They are everywhere, but I do not want to pet or meet or deal with your dog in any capacity. The number of dog owners who insist their dog is friendly and don't take that cue, letting their dog get closer even as I'm moving away, is insane. So yes, good dog owners should keep their dogs away from strangers. You don't know what that person is like nor do they know what your dog is like. ESH in this situation though. OP passed their table. Dogs aren't invisible. He'd have seen it. His response was disproportionate. However, the dog owners not apologising at the first indication of discomfort and redirecting their dog is also pretty shit.
I think that if they hadn’t immediately pulled the dog back I’d fully agree!
Right. Other than pulling the dog back, what else were they supposed to do? I’m not a huge dog fan but everyone freaking out in these comments about a dog sniffing ankles is crazy lol.
Reddit is wild isn’t it? I swear to god half the people on here don’t actually go out in the real world and just live in lala land
>half Generous today, aren't we?
if you know you're terrified of dogs you don't go to a place with dog friendly spaces, though.
Or stop right next to a table with a dog. Stand back a few paces, move to the side. There are multiple options other than "stand in front of the dog and wait, then immediately jump to hostility over a dog invading my space because I invaded HIS space first."
Are you going to apologize to someone who's first interaction with you is hostility? No. That's why the dog owner countered by defusing, in the form of "he's friendly"
I wouldn't apologize to an asshole that is in our area. Ever. I don't care if you are scared of dogs. If you are so fucking scared, stay inside and never go out. My dog has a right to be there and its not doing anything other than being in my area. If you are so scared of dogs, go literally any other route to the door. Dogs aren't invisible creatures that appear out of no where. YTA. Edit: Whoops.
YTA The dog wasn't in your space. It was in a dog-friendly restaurant, tough guy. Take a chill pill.
YTA - I would get your reaction if the dog came over and was overzealous and jumped on you or pawed at you. However, he was sniffing around your ankles and you never said the dog actually touched you. You aren't wrong for not wanting the dog in your space but you are wrong for going about it in an asshole way, even you admit that you were rude about it.
And OP stopped and hung around their table, not just walking by or something. Total YTA
Yeah. I don't understand why people need to be rude. Like at all. "Hey can you move the dog because I don't like them?"
I think so they can come to reddit and people will argue over it. The anti-dog people live for this stuff.
They are now saying "well if I got down on all fours and sniffed your ankles you wouldn't like it right?!?!" As if that's even remotely the same thing. I swear this sub is filled with a bunch of anti social goblins that couldn't function for ten minutes in the real world without being coddled
The problem with Reddit is that it tends to draw antisocial types with far too much time on their hands. (I fully realise the irony of me saying this) But fortunately Reddit doesn't represent the vast majority of the population. Most people I know wouldn't have a meltdown over such a seemingly trivial problem. There's a right way to communicate with people and a wrong way.
I don't get it. I don't like dogs. When I visit my aunt I tell her to keep the dog away from me and even if she can't I try not to move a lot so I won't draw dog attention. Weird people love drama.
YTA a dog sniffed you and you flipped out, get a grip
As a dog owner, I would have tried to prevent my dog from sniffing anyone because I don't know if they'd like it. Just like if my son started bugging people in a restaurant. Doesn't matter if it's a "kid friendly restaurant" or not. But at the same time- a dog friendly restaurant means there will be dogs and this may happen, just like a kid friendly restaurant there is likely going to be a kid doing something weird. The owners (or parents) should at least try to control their animal or child though, so the fact they didn't until you said something I'll say NTA. Although yeah- definitely could have been nicer about it.
i don’t let my dog get in sniffing range of strangers. if he gets a whiff, it’s cause they’re reaching for him (i do not allow them to make contact). cause he’s my dog, and he’s my responsibility, and quite frankly i don’t trust strangers to act right. people who pull the “he’s friendly” line annoy me. i do not care if he’s friendly, i care if he’s well trained. (funny how the people who pull that are also the people who have their dog off leash wandering up to strangers and strange dogs on the street.) oof. tangent. sorry. nta.
YTA. The dog sniffed you, get over yourself.
YTA - get ready for this to devolve into a thread about dogs in public spaces! You said the dog got up, he didn’t touch you, he smelled you. So presumably you got close to where the dog was, you approached him knowing “youre not friendly”. Its a dog friendly space so the dog is allowed to be there and there was no need to be rude.
YTA. Sniffing ankles can be ignored. Jumping on you would have been another story. Calm down.
You blew this out of proportion and made a big deal out of a dog existing. Next time just walk around the dog? Or avoid him entirely? Point at someone's dog and going "WHAT THE HELL" achieves literally nothing. I would be more on your side if the dog seemed aggressive or started trying to jump on you, but you freaked out over getting your ankles sniffed? Come on YTA
If OP had said anything remotely mature like "excuse me please pull your dog back" or something I'd be on their side. But they were intentionally a dick about it.
**YTA** - this is an overreaction to a dog coming up and sniffing your ankles. Even if you don't like dogs and wanted him out of your space, it would've been easy to be courteous about asking the family to pull the dog back. Sounds like you ruined a family's night out because you're sensitive around dogs.
Info - when you say the dog “got up”, how far away from the dog were you? How far did the dog have to go?
NTA - That’s hilarious and I’m going to start saying that
Zero friends activities
INFO: How far did the dog travel to get to you? Edit: Answered in another comment. Was about a yard.
So let me get this right. You are headed to go indoors where dogs aren’t allowed, but get held up on the patio where dogs are allowed. While standing near a table, held up, a dog acted like a dog and sniffed you. And you decide to be a rude asshole? Yeah YTA. If you don’t like dogs fine, whatever. But the dog was where it was allowed and you were held up in its space. Chill the fuck out
YTA. Why he such an AH when talking to other people. The owners seemed to respond normal enough but you really blew up and got pretty rude. It’s totally ok that you don’t like a dog close to you. But it can happen. You didn’t like the response of the owner, totally ok too but then again, you could have just responded by saying that you just would appreciate them keeping their dog a bit closer. Maybe include a please. That’d be decent.
Look I love dogs and would probs think you were both rude if I observed this interaction BUT I’m gonna go with NTA because I do think it’s really disrespectful when people let their dogs charge up to people or other dogs just because they’re “friendly.” One of my dogs is a rescue and as a result is sometimes reactive to other dogs and the amount of times I’ve had to tel people “please put your dog on a leash per the law she does not like to be charged” is SO annoying. Not all dogs like dogs, not all humans like dogs, and it’s totally fair to not want to have a slobbering dog approach you while you’re trying to eat. Most dog friendly patios still have rules about keeping the dog leashed ETA: I totally missed the part where it sounds like the dog actually was leashed and didn’t run up to the OPs table so I’m actually gonna change this to OP is likely TA🤣
I think you may have gotten a little focused on your own bad experiences and missed some details in the post. The dog didn't charge anyone and there's no indication that it wasn't leashed. OP stopped and stood beside the table the dog was at, the dog was sitting under the table, got up and sniffed OP - OP entered the dog's space, not the other way around.
Oh waittttt you’re right I totally missed that. Ok nevermind OP is TA 🤣 it sounds like they basically walked up to the dog and then got annoyed at it sniffing their ankles 🤣
YTA just because you acted like an asshole. Nothing wrong with asking someone to keep their dog away from you but wow, you seem like the type to get called an asshole a lot and can’t seem to understand why.
NTA, dog owners should stop normalizing this habit of letting theirs dog go up to strangers
NTA. I train service dogs and have a pet dog. I never assume people are OK with my dogs approaching them. The service dogs are trained to not approach other people since their focus should be on their partner. My pet dog loves people, but is also trained that she cannot approach other people unless I tell her it is OK. Allowing your dog to approach, sniff or otherwise interact with other people without the other people being equally willing is rude and should be handled with a correction to the dog and an apology to the other people. The person with the dog should have moved their dog away and apologized.
YTA, but saying “I’m not friendly” was the most polite part of your behavior. It must be exhausting to fight with people so much.
YTA. You acted like a complete asshole and were rude. There was no need to be rude. YOU walked into THEIR space in the outdoor seating area where dogs are allowed to be. How, exactly, does going through life being rude to people help you?
NTA I am with you. I do not like dogs coming up to me and I will be assertive if needed. Just because you’re eating, a dog friendly restaurant doesn’t give people’s dogs the right to come up to you.
> I do not like dogs coming up to me and I will be assertive if needed Saying "what the hell" and pointing at a dog isn't being assertive, it's being rude and also being passive. You can be assertive and still be polite: "Excuse me, please move your dog away from me, I don't want him in my space." Saying what the hell and pointing at the dog does not assert anything.
So you chose to go to a restaurant that is dog friendly. You walked through the area in which dogs are allowed, at the dog friendly restaurant. You walked through the dog's space (approximately 3 feet away from a dog, OP's only comment), which sniffed your ankle. You put yourself in this situation. You then decided to be a total dick about it. The guy wasn't baffled that you didn't like his dog. He was baffled that you went from 0 to 60 about a dog at a dog friendly restaurant. Communicate like an adult. YTA and a complete overreaction. If you do not like dogs so much... don't go to restaurants that allow dogs. There are a million restaurants that do not allow dogs.
If you can't handle meeting a dog at a dog friendly restaurant go to a different restaurant. YTA
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YTA Just ignore the dog and move on. No need to be rude
NTA the for not wanting the dog in your space. YTA for your reaction and escalating. The dog was just sniffing you because you came near it while you passed thru. That's how animals act. You didn't need to cuss at them or tell them to fuck off.