Dog owner gets yelled at by cafe owner after dog 'does business' right in front of door.
Owning a pet in a big city means your animal shares space with a whole lot of neighbors, tourists, and other animals.
In general, this is a neutral fact, neither good nor bad. But it can lead to conflict and stress when your neighbors feel annoyed by your pet's needs.
In a popular post on the AITA subreddit, a pet owner asked if they're wrong for not apologizing for where their dog did business.
They wrote:
AITA? My dog pooped on the sidewalk that happened to be in front of a cafe in NYC – Owner was not happy.
I just had an experience that I am not sure how to feel about. I was walking my dog on a commercial street filled with small businesses and shops in Queens, NY. I had just come from the vet and my dog, a beagle mix, had been pretty nervous, so I thought a little walk would be nice.
As we are walking, my dog suddenly stops and poops in the middle of the sidewalk. Now, this is not an ideal place for him to go, and usually he tries to find a grassy spot off to the side, but apparently he needed to go and this was where he was going.
This spot he chose to go on the sidewalk happened to be a in front of a cafe (about four feet in front of it). I didn't think much of it, or even notice what business I was in front of. I got out a poop bag to pick it up. I picked up the poop in the dog bag and tied a knot. There was a small amount of residue that I couldn't get off of the sidewalk (not sure how to avoid that).
Just as we were about to continue walking, someone pops out of the door (who I assume is the owner of the cafe) and says in a rude tone, 'This is a business, don't let your dog poop here (pointing to where the dog had pooped). He should have pooped over there (points to the curb).'
I didn't know how to respond and I think I mustered something like, 'This is a sidewalk and this is where he stopped to go.'
I didn't feel like I should apologize for anything in this situation so I did not. I was more annoyed than anything. I turned and left without further engaging with the person. I noted the shop and made a mental note to never visit it.
Just for a better visual: This cafe has no outdoor seating. This is just a public sidewalk in front of their cafe that is on a pedestrian street in a big city. I am not sure what I could have done differently. I picked up the poop. The owner of the cafe didn't need to come out and say anything. They don't own the sidewalk in front of their cafe. This is NYC, we all have to share the sidewalk. Who's the @$$hole?
Pet owners, cafe lovers, and experienced neighbors alike jumped on with their two cents.
boredbakerpianist wrote:
NTA. For all those saying otherwise, have you ever experienced walking a dog and them needing to s#$t? Because let me tell you, once they decide they need to go, despite all the tugging and pulling on the lead, they wont budge. My dog once shat on someone's driveway and point blank refused to move anywhere else (it was embarrassing, but I did all i could and she wouldn't move).
RadiantCow3000x wrote:
People saying other than NTA blow my mind. You’re definitely NTA since you cleaned it up as much as you reasonably could.
tipsyinmadras wrote:
NTA. Dog owner from NYC and former front of house restaurant worker. If you picked it up, you’re good! It’s New York. You can’t go to the curb because of trash/traffic.
Sudden-Pickle733 wrote:
I am absolutely baffled by 'curb your dog.'
As if the US didn't have enough to worry about, you're all gonna drag your dogs to the curb mid turd too 😂 NTA, love from the UK, land of leaving our dogs to lay a cable in peace x.
rintin_10 wrote:
NTA sometimes, pardon the pun, but s@#$ happens. You cleaned it up the best you could and in this particular instance could not control where your dog did their business. Not to mention lord knows those sidewalks have probably seen way worse…
But perhaps it’ll be a good idea moving forward to carry an extra water bottle or wipes as a precaution?? That way you can either give your dog a fresh drink especially if it’s hot or clean up unexpected messes. Just a thought.
I can’t with this sub sometimes. It’s like there is no grey area or nuance for some people. You said the poor thing was just taken to the vet. Maybe they were reacting to something they were given or just stressed because of that. Yes it’s our responsibility to clean up after them and care for them but heaven forbid something out of your control happens.
The jury is out, OP is NTA.