Woman Ditches Sister's Wedding After Service Dog Is Denied an Invite

Dogs are more than just faithful furry friends and stalwart companions. For some people, dogs are their lifelines. Service dogs help people with life-altering conditions and disabilities like blindness, epilepsy, and PTSD navigate the world safely and comfortably, and their importance cannot be overstated.

Unfortunately, this woman's sister apparently didn't get that memo. A distressed Reddit user and service dog owner took to the popular subreddit r/AmIThe***Hole to vent about ditching her sister's wedding after - get this - her service dog was denied an invite!

The OP, 27-year-old Reddit user u/namealreadytaken-NOT, opens her story by explaining that she owns a service dog due to severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a traumatic event a few years prior. OP's service dog is trained and well-behaved, and her 30-year-old sister is well aware of how important her service dog is for helping OP function in social situations.

Related: Service Dog Asks for His Mom’s Help With a ‘Crisis’ While at Work

When OP was invited to her sister's wedding, she indicated on her RSVP that she'd be bringing her service dog with her. However, a few days before the wedding, OP's sister called her and asked her not to bring her service dog, worried that it would be disruptive and "might make some guests uncomfortable."

"I explained that I rely on my service dog, especially in stressful situations like weddings, but she insisted it would ruin her 'perfect day' if guests were distracted or if photos were 'ruined' by the dog being in them," OP wrote.

Nevertheless, OP tried to attend the ceremony by herself. However, without her service dog by her side, she began to feel overwhelmed at the reception and had to leave early, explaining the situation to her sister. This reportedly made her sister "visibly upset," and she later sent OP a long text accusing her of making the wedding all about herself.

OP's family is now divided over the issue, with some feeling that she was in the right and others thinking she should have "compromised" for her sister's wedding. All this drama pushed OP to ask the popular subreddit whether or not she was the "a-hole" in this situation.

Reddit Weighs in on Service Dog Drama

Fortunately for OP, the subreddit's users overwhelmingly ruled in her favor, explaining that her sister was completely in the wrong for denying her service dog entry.

"Sounds to me like she's jealous of the attention you get while you have your dog with you and didn't want to compete with you on her wedding day. However, you have an actual medical condition... and she put herself above your medical needs. She's TA," said u/IamIrene.

"You already compromised by not bringing your medically necessary service animal with you," said u/NoSalamander7749, addressing the criticisms made by OP's family. "NTA. Very telling about the mentality of your sister and all the family members that sided with her."

"NTA. Service dogs are a medical service. That's like asking someone to leave their wheelchair at home and be carried around at the wedding," argued u/Name-Bunchanumbers.

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Far too many people still struggle to understand that service animals are not the same as pet dogs. According to USAA, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs are considered medical equipment, just like wheelchairs and oxygen tanks. If you wouldn't ask someone to leave their wheelchair or oxygen tank at home to attend your wedding, it wouldn't be fair to ask that of a service dog user either. And if you would ask someone to ditch their medically necessary equipment for your wedding... well, I'd say you need to get your priorities straight!

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