6 October 2003 11:09 [link]
stupid, stupid woman
I encountered one of the more selfish people on this planet today. I was on the train, sitting at a table next to one woman, and opposite a blind man with his guide dog. The dog - a German Shepherd by the name of Ellie - was quite happily sitting under the table next to the man, and I was quite happily sitting stroking her.
The train was quite full, and people were walking up the train looking for somewhere to sit. "Is that seat free?" they'd ask, pointing to the seat effectively occupied by Ellie. "There's a guide dog sitting under the table", we'd reply, and they'd move on.
Until this stupid, selfish woman appears, and in response to our "there's a guide dog under the table" turn to the dog's owner and barked "Has it got a ticket?". "No", he replied, "she's a guide dog." "It's still taking up a seat, isn't it?" she snapped back.
Cue dumb amazement from all. I mean, did she expect him to put the dog in the luggage rack? This question and other more acid comments sprang into my mind just after she'd stomped out of the carriage, of course.
The woman sitting next to me was incandescent with rage, and so we spent a good few minutes ranting about how people could be so stupid and thoughtless and self-centred, and making a fuss of Ellie.
I was a bit be-dogged by the time I got off the train, but then I'm so in awe of the work guide dogs do that I didn't mind a bit of hair on my coat.
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