Service animals can be a lifeline, whether they’re helping with physical tasks or providing emotional support.

But what would you do if a friend wanted to bring their service dog into your home, knowing you have a serious allergy?

Would you risk a flare-up for their comfort?

Or would you politely refuse to allow the dog in your home?

In the following story, one friend faces this very dilemma.

Here’s what’s going on.

AITA for refusing to let my friend’s service dog into my house because I’m allergic?

I have a pretty severe dog allergy, and I recently invited a small group of friends over for a game night.

One of my friends has a service dog for his anxiety, which I totally respect.

But I told him beforehand that I couldn’t be around dogs because of my allergies.

He said it wouldn’t be an issue because I could just take allergy meds and keep windows open.

For health reasons, he doesn’t want the dog in his home.

I tried to explain that even with meds, I’d still be uncomfortable, and honestly, I don’t want a dog in my house for hours.

He said I was being ableist and not considering his needs, even though I felt like I was the one who would physically suffer.

The rest of the group is split—some say I’m being unfair to him, others think it’s reasonable because it’s my house and my health.

Now, I’m second-guessing myself.

AITA?

Eek. It’s easy to see both sides of this, but having a severe dog allergy is a good reason not to want one in your home.

Let’s see what advice the fine folks over at Reddit have to offer.

This person points out that the fur and dander will be left behind.

According to this comment, it’s not ableist to protect your own well-being.

As this person points out, a home is not a public place.

Even with allergy medication, they’ll still be affected long after the dog is gone.

The dog should not be allowed in the home.

As commenters have pointed out, it’s not just about the dog being there in the moment; it’s the fact that the dog will leave allergens behind, which could trigger a serious allergic reaction later on.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.