Most people would stop and check on a dog wandering around by itself.

After all, it’s hard to tell the difference between a lost pet and a dog that’s simply gotten away from its owner.

That’s exactly what happened when this dog owner spotted a black dog roaming near an apartment building with no owner in sight.

Concerned that the dog might be lost, he stepped in to help.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the dog’s owners finally appeared and acted as if he’d done something wrong.

Read on to see their interaction.

AITA for “interfering” with a “service dog”

Last night, my partner and I were out walking our two dogs (my current SD and my retired SD). While walking next to one of the apartment buildings, I spotted a medium-sized black dog (probably around 50 lbs) walking by itself.

I watched for a few minutes to see if there was an owner anywhere and saw no one. At this point, I was concerned it might be a lost dog, so I had my partner take both our dogs back to the apartment while I went to investigate.

Once I got about 15 ft away from the dog, she came up to me. I gave her some pets and gently grabbed her collar in case she tried to bolt (if she was lost, I didn’t want her to get more lost if she ran).

Then, he found the dog’s owner.

I saw a lady on a first-floor balcony and asked if she knew the dog. She did not, so I decided to move on and go get a leash so I could go door to door and find where the dog got away from.

I made it almost around the building when I heard someone above me. It was a lady and what looked to be her teenage son. She hollered down to me that the dog was theirs, it’s “service trained,” and she’s fine.

That’s when I heard a whistle and noticed who I assume was the dad coming down the stairs. I let the dog go so it could run home. Then the guy started asking me a bunch of questions (never coming down past the second floor).

The man started asking questions.

Him: “Did she come up to you?”

Me: “Yes.”

Him: “Did you approach her?”

Me: “Yeah, cuz she was alone and I didn’t see anyone around, so I assumed she was lost.”

At this point, the whole interaction was very uncomfortable.

Him: “She only approached you because you approached her. Do you even live around here?”

Me: “Yes, I live in the building next door.”

At this point, he told me how I was weird for approaching the dog and that if I see her again, she is fine. She is trained to come back. I told him it’s not fine cuz there is a leash law.

I heard him mutter something, but I was walking away at that point.

AITA?

Yikes! It seems like service animals aren’t meant to be left like that.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a woman who was in love with her dream house – and then spring came and her neighbor’s trees caused her to question the purchase.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit think about the whole thing.

This person thinks the dog owners are in the wrong.

Great thoughts from a service dog owner.

According to this comment, the dog was probably not a service dog.

Here’s someone who thinks he should file a complaint.

This one is pretty straightforward.

The dog was wandering around outside by itself, and nobody was anywhere nearby. In this situation, most people would assume it was lost and try to help.

The owners are the ones who made this situation awkward. They knew the dog belonged there, but nobody else did. Then, instead of appreciating that someone was looking out for the dog’s safety, they acted like the neighbor had done something wrong.

If they don’t want people checking on their dog, they should probably stop letting it roam around an apartment complex by itself.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a tenant who decided to stop returning his neighbor’s misplaced laundry after two years.