She Refused to Allow a Service Dog Into Her Apartment. Did She Act Like a Jerk?

Hey, not everyone loves dogs.

I’m definitely NOT one of those people, but I think I can see where this woman is coming from who you’re about to hear from.

She wants to know if she acted like a jerk for not allowing a service dog into her apartment…but she has a pretty good reason for it.

Take a look.

AITA for not allowing a service dog in my apartment?

“I (28F) have a friend (27F) who has a service dog.

I’ve always avoided having her over and we go out when we get together or to her place. I love dogs and her service dog is very well behaved and I have no issues with him. But, I do not want him in my house.

I have a cat that is terrified of dogs. She was rescued from a situation that involved dogs that were very vicious towards her (all the animals were removed from the home and had been severely abused). I was the vet that was involved in removing the animals for welfare issues and treated her for various issues.

She had to be kept in a ward on her own as she was so stressed by other cats and would loose it if she even glimpsed a dog. I ended up adopting her as my old cat had just passed. She’s gotten better and can now see a dog through windows and hear them barking.

But, being near them still results in aggressive behaviour out of fear and then she’ll hide on top of my fridge for days refusing to come down.

My fiancé and I have tried introducing my cat to his dog before. We couldn’t get past the smell through a door stage and my cat was too scared to then be in the small space the dog was in for weeks.

My fiancé’s dog is very old and we’ve decided not to get married or move in together until his dog passes because neither of us wants to loose our animals or put one through severe stress (which also triggers her asthma).

My friend knows about my cat. Well, I had an accident at work which has left me house bound basically. My fiancé and a couple friends have been helping me out. My friend wanted to drop by and talk about something very personal that she’s been dealing with and I’ve been her listening ear.

I told her that was fine, but that her dog couldn’t come in the house. He could go in my fenced back yard but I can’t have him in the house. She got angry and said she needs the dog with her. Of course I understand that, but I can’t leave so either she comes without her dog or we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to talk.

I explained that this was entirely because of my cat. She said I should just lock her up, I said that doesn’t work for my cat. I’ve tried. She said I’m prioritizing the needs of an animals over those of a person and it’s discrimination since it’s a service dog. I am prioritizing my cat over her, but this is my cats home and she deserves to be comfortable here.

If I wasn’t laid up in bed I’d talk to her in my yard, but I can’t stand or sit right now for long so I’m stuck in bed or my couch. I feel horrible for not being able to accommodate her, but I also feel responsible for my cat’s well being and I know having a dog in the house will cause her a lot of distress.”