Bride Tells Sister Her Service Dog Can’t Come To Her Wedding Because Groom’s Afraid Of Dogs

Nov 10, 2021

There is always a chance for drama at a wedding, and the odds go up when someone's legitimate fears are involved. One woman shared her personal wedding problem online after telling her sister that she wasn't allowed to bring her service dog to the wedding because of the groom's fear. 

The phobia developed after a traumatic experience he endured as a child when he was attacked by a golden retriever. This happens to be the same breed as the sister's dog. The incident happened when the groom was 11, and he went to therapy to be able to be around dogs but still gets anxious around golden retrievers. To help him avoid feeling on edge throughout the wedding day, the bride and groom said no dogs were allowed.  

The bride shared in a post on Reddit that her sister has a psychiatric service animal, but she typically leaves the dog at home when she visits her and the groom. The sister has also gone out clubbing and left the dog at home, so the bride doesn't understand why she can't attend the wedding without the service animal as well. After the bride shared her feelings on the subject, the sister got very upset and claimed she would not be able to attend the wedding without her dog. 

The next day, the parents contacted the bride and told her she was discriminating against her sister and that they would not attend the wedding if the dog was not allowed. This prompted the bride to share her story on Reddit and ask users if she was in the wrong in this situation. Keep reading to see what others had to say about the bride and groom's decision. 

In her Reddit post, the bride explained what happened when she announced to her family that no dogs would be allowed at the wedding. She wrote: 

"When telling my family, my sister began talking about how she would buy a bowtie for her dog to wear at the wedding. This took place at our home and her dog wasn't present. My fiancé brought up his discomfort and I backed him up, telling her that her service dog couldn't come to the wedding. I posed the idea that she comes alone like she does when she comes over to visit us. She got extremely upset by this, ranting about how we were discriminating against her and that her service dog was essential for her functioning in life."

The bride-to-be continued, "I brought up how she was here without her service dog 'functioning' fine but she immediately started crying and having a panic attack. My parents took her side and left quickly with her still crying. My brother took my side but that's only because he believes she doesn't need a service dog. I have no opinion in her dog's validity."

Matters only got worse from there. "My parents called me the next day to tell me that it wasn't acceptable not to allow my sister's service dog to come along and that it would mean she couldn't come. Honestly, we're not that close and she was only coming as a guest, so I posed the idea that she come for a dinner with me individually before or after the wedding to celebrate. Now my parents are threatening to not come and claiming ADA laws against me," shared the bride.

In order to clear up some questions from commenters, the bride added an edit to her post. She said: "My fiancé has met this dog but it was a traumatic experience. She secretly brought the dog and kept holding the dog towards him and wouldn't let him leave. It resulted in a panic attack."

Over a thousand people left comments on this story, and the majority agreed that the bride was doing the right thing. The top comment said: 

"Why do your sister's psychological issues trump your fiance's trauma at his own wedding? According to your post, she has visited you multiple times without her service dog, so it doesn't seem like a stretch for her to be without her service dog for your wedding. If she absolutely feels that she cannot be without the dog for your wedding, then she can just not attend. Also, the ADA doesn't apply here as attending a wedding is not a protected right."

Some commenters felt the bride should cut out her parents and sister altogether. "Honestly, I would uninvite both sister and parents. Because threatening legal action on your daughter's wedding day? Seriously? These people made their priorities absolutely clear. And OP is not one of these priorities," added another person.

Others offered some advice on how the bride should go about talking to her parents. A different person wrote:

"I would explain to parents the psychological trauma your fiancé has and ask them why one is more important to the other. Also, tell them that the scenario is either your sister doesn't come due to needing the dog or your fiancé doesn't come ( obviously absurd) due to not being able to be around the dog. And ask them which one sounds more reasonable?"

Do you think the bride was out of line? What would you have done in this situation? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family.