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A woman has been defended online after she backed out of her sister's wedding because her service dog was denied entry.
In a post shared on Reddit’s popular confessional forum “Am I The I**hole,” the 27-year-old explained that she has a service dog due to her “severe anxiety” and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from an event that took place a few years ago. She shared that her 30-year-old sister, who is getting married, was well aware of “the importance of my service dog in helping me navigate social situations.”
When the Redditor posted a reply to her sister's wedding, she made it clear that she would be bringing her service animal, which she described as “trained and well-behaved.” Even though she gave her plenty of notice before the big day, the bride was not happy with the companion.
“A few days before the wedding, she called me, visibly stressed, and said that while she understood my need for a dog, she felt like it would be a nuisance and might make some guests uncomfortable,” the Reddit user said. She claimed that her sister had asked if she could leave her service dog at home and attend both the ceremony and reception alone. For the Reddit user, this was a strict request, as she relied on her dog for support in more ways than one.
Even when she tried to explain to her sister why she needed the service animal, especially at a wedding, the bride insisted that the dog would “ruin” the event. “She insisted that it would ruin her ‘perfect day’ if guests were distracted or if photos were ‘ruined’ because the dog was in them,” the Reddit user wrote.
The bride's second offer was to provide her sister with a human companion to support her and accompany her at all times. “I politely declined the offer, reiterating that my service dog was essential to my well-being,” she confessed.
Despite having to leave her dog behind, the woman decided to attend the ceremony last weekend. While the nuptials went off relatively smoothly, the reception proved too overwhelming without her service dog. Rather than stay and sit alone with her anxiety, the Reddit user left.
“I started to feel overwhelmed and decided to leave early, explaining my situation to my sister,” she shared. “She was visibly upset and then sent me a long text message, accusing me of making her wedding a personal event and not making any concessions for her big day.”
Since the wedding, the woman's family has expressed different opinions. While some agreed with her sister and accused the Reddit user of being selfish, others admitted that they supported her decision to leave early.
Wondering if she was wrong for making the hasty decision to call off her sister's nuptials, the Reddit user asked anonymous users if they thought she was the “bad guy” and the overwhelming majority sided with her.
One person simply said, “You have a service dog. She discriminated against you based on your medical condition and your need for a service dog.”
“You attended the reception and held out for hours. That should be enough,” another supporter noted.
“Even though everyone said you should have stood your ground, YOU DID!” a third user agreed. “You stayed as long as you could without your service dog! That was a huge commitment on your part too.”
Another reader wrote: “It is completely out of line for your sister to think that your PTSD would be harmful or uncomfortable for anyone… It is so frustrating when service dogs are mistaken for support dogs.”
“Your sister decided not to please you, you left early. Decisions have consequences… she just wants her wedding cake and she wants to eat it too,” another person noted.
