One Reddit user has claimed that plane passengers aimed ‘snide comments’ at him after he refused to pet an on-board pooch.
As per the World Animal Foundation, a whopping 34 per cent of UK households share their space with a dog, while 56 per cent of owners state they would travel long distances with their four-legged pets.
However, one social media user - who openly admitted he ‘didn’t like dogs’ - was unhappy when someone’s furry friend interrupted his aeroplane trip.
Posting on a popular Reddit thread, titled ‘Am I The A******’, a user called @BananaRamaPepublic69 said: “I do not like dogs. I hate this trend of flying with your dog. I don’t understand why you can’t just leave it at home.”
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After prefacing his complicated relationship with canines, he continued to detail his recent experience.
“We take off, as soon as we get to altitude, a dog, say 20 pounds, comes walking down the aisle by itself.
“It’s just walking around on its own and people up and down the aisle are petting it. It is going up to people and from what I can tell positively interacting with it.”
Annoyed that the animal was seemingly roaming free during the two-hour flight, the 35-year-old said he found an attendant and asked her ‘about the dog’.
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“She tells me they were told it’s a service dog, nothing we can do and also nothing they want to do this early into the flight.
“Frustrated, I take a seat. It’s been walking around for a decent amount of time and I have no idea who’s dog this is and, FWIW, there was nothing on it indicating it was a service dog.”
However, when the canine eventually approached the unhappy traveller, they ‘yelled out’ and called for its guardian to remove it from his area.
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The pooch, whose species is unknown, was eventually collected by its owner but she allegedly delivered some choice words to her fellow passenger.
“She essentially tells me to F off and that I ruined her dog's good time and that I’m the only one that had an issue.
“Throughout the flight, a few people went up to her to tell her they enjoyed the dog. Each time she made snide comments about me. So was I the a******?,” he concluded.
According to Pets That Travel, dogs that are being whisked away on a plane must be kept in appropriate kennels and carriers while in airports or onboard planes.
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The only exception is a service-related canine - of which the anonymous social media user was apparently grinding his gears over.
Reddit users have since come out in their droves to discuss the anonymous user’s dilemma and to give their verdict on the situation.
One wrote: “NTA. I love dogs, but letting them roam freely during a flight seems irresponsible. Also it seems weird that a service dog does this. Those dogs are trained a lot. Maybe it was an emotional support dog?”
A second said: “I hate how it's ok for people to not like cats who genuinely leave strangers alone. But it's not publicly ok to dislike dogs, who approach strangers and invade your personal space.
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“People need to keep their dogs in line. Not everyone appreciates the jumping, licking and smelling!”
“Dogs must be with their owners at all times,” said a third.
Featured Image Credit: Ryan Jello/Cristobol Alvardo Minic/Getty ImagesTopics: Travel, Dog, Animals, Plane Etiquette, Reddit