No Borders On That Guy’s Rudeness

I’m the OP of this story.

My border collie and I are on our way home from work. We are on the bus, which is quite crowded as it is rush hour. There are no empty seats and we are standing in the area close to the back door. My dog is sitting down and I am standing in front of him so other passengers don’t accidentally step on his paws when walking past us. He is used to taking public transportation, so he is sitting down calmly and doesn’t pay much attention to the people around us.

At one stop, [Man #1] gets on the bus and stands next to me and my dog. He’s on his phone and doesn’t pay attention to us for quite some time. However, at some point he puts away his phone and, I assume for the first time since he got on the bus, takes note of his surroundings. As soon as he sees my dog, he shrieks and tries to knee my dog in the face. Luckily, he misses and his knee only brushes my dog’s shoulder, but he still flinches and yelps. I immediately step between my dog and the guy, who now seems very agitated. 

[Man #2], who I guess saw what happened, squeezes past me to step between [Man #1] and me, further shielding my dog from another potential attack. Instead of confronting either man, I check on my dog to make sure he isn’t hurt, which isn’t easy because now he is trying to squeeze under the seats trying to hide from the attacker. I am busy trying to calm down my dog when the following conversation happens.

Man #2: “What the f***, dude?”

Man #1: *Yelling rather aggressively* “That dog has to get off the bus! Dogs shouldn’t be allowed to be on the bus!”

Man #2: “That’s not gonna happen, man. Dogs are allowed on public transportation as long as they are well-trained. And this dog was sitting quietly without bothering anyone.”

Man #1: “He is bothering me! I want him off the bus!”

Man #2: “Listen, if you have a problem with him being on the bus, I suggest you get off. The dog didn’t do anything and you just kicked him in the face. If you don’t get off the bus now, I will report you for animal abuse.”

[Man #2] is still talking when we arrive at the next stop and the bus doors open. Fortunately, [Man #1] gets off the bus — though not without protesting and cursing. Unfortunately, by the time I have managed to calm down my dog and convince him that hiding behind strangers’ grocery bags isn’t necessary anymore, [Man #2] appears to have also left the bus.

So, in case you read this: thank you stranger, for stepping up and protecting my dog from this idiot!

I totally understand that some people are afraid of dogs. But if you are, please pay attention to your surroundings! You may actually get hurt pulling a stunt like this when a dog less mild-mannered than mine decides to defend himself in a similar situation!

Related:
No Borders On That Lady’s Crazy
No Borders On That Kid’s Kindness