‘She literally put my life at risk’: Employee gets the office Karen fired after she tries to defraud their medical alert service dog, taking things dangerously far for the sake of being 'right'

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Oct 30, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

This employee was pushed to her physical and mental limit by the office Karen after she became highly fixated on her service dog, desperately doing whatever she could to try and 'defraud' this life-saving companion–all for the sake of getting a polite 'pet' kicked out of the workplace.

Medical alert service dogs are an insane concept. Amazingly, their little wiggling snoots are so powerful that dogs can actually smell when a person's hormones or blood pressure changes, alerting their owners to medical episodes and saving lives in the process. It's truly incredible, but for some reason, the office Karen in this story was way too desperate to prove that her coworker's dog was a fraud. She was willing to risk their life to prove that their golden retriever wasn't an extraordinary service animal, but just a regular ole pet. 

Things started small as the Karen doubted the dog's duty–she tried to trick the dog into eating food off the floor and attempted to debunk her coworker's condition because she was 'too young to be disabled'. Karen didn't know when to quit and things took a dangerous turn, forcing this employee to take drastic action, reporting the Karen's harassment to HR because her life depended on it. 

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  • 01
    SERVICE DOG
    via FatCamera from Getty Images Signature via Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITA for getting my coworker fired after she kept trying to "prove" my service dog is fake?
    via No_Copy_237
  • 03
    I have a medical alert service dog named Max who helps with a serious heart condition. He's literally saved my life multiple times by alerting before I pass out. I
    via No_Copy_237
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    started a new office job 3 months ago, and everything was fine until (let's call her) "Karen" started her crusade against Max -> If you're curious, here is what Max looks like (not his exact photo).
    via No_Copy_237
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    SERVICE DOG
    via FatCamera - Getty Images Signature, via Canva
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    It started small. She'd loudly announce "pets aren't allowed in the office" every time she saw us. I explained repeatedly that Max is a service dog, not a pet,
    via No_Copy_237
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    and showed her his documentation. She then started telling everyone I was "obviously faking" because I "look too young to be disabled." Things escalated fast.
    via No_Copy_237
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    She'd try to "test" Max by dropping food near him (he's trained to ignore it). She reported me to HR weekly. But the worst part? She started purposely wearing strong perfume and spraying air
    via No_Copy_237
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    freshener around my desk, which triggers my condition. Max alerted 3 times in one day because of this. The final straw? I found out she was taking
    via No_Copy_237
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    photos of me and Max and posting them in a Facebook group about "fake service dogs," asking for ways to "expose" me. She included my full name and workplace.
    via No_Copy_237
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    I took screenshots and went to HR. They fired her on the spot for harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Now my inbox is flooded with messages from her friends
    via No_Copy_237
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    and family saying I'm TA for "getting a mother of 3 fired over a dog" and that I "should have just worked from home if I'm so sick." Here's the thing - I actually
    via No_Copy_237
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    feel horrible that she lost her job. Her kids aren't at fault here. But she literally put my life at risk with the perfume stunts, and doxxing me online was scary.
    via No_Copy_237
  • 14
    Raven Dorkholme She would do this to someone else if she hadn't done it to you. It isn't your fault she was fired, it's her own. NTA.
    via RavenDorkholme
  • 15
    mellow-drama A cease and desist from a lawyer, threatening to sue for reputational damages, would shut everyone up.
    via mellow-drama
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    Dangerous-WinterElf This. Thankfully, she was dumb enough to leave proof online that she would not only leak OP's info and pictures so OP could face harassment and other unpleasant
    via Dangerous-WinterElf
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    encounters with strangers. But that she would be a long-term issue at the workplace by seeking out ways to harass and endanger OP. She was practically begging to get fired.
    via Dangerous-WinterElf
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    Legitimate-Sir-6236 Just FYI - if she deliberately sprayed the perfume and air freshener knowing it would trigger a medical episode for you, that's a criminal offense of assault.
    via Legitimate-Sir-6236
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    PinLongjumping9022 Yep. If anything, she got off lightly for this not being appropriately punished.
    via PinLongjumping9022
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    Ok Passage 6242 Anyone that messaged you on her behalf, let them know that you forwarded this information on the police as part of the ongoing investigation for the doxxing. And actually do it because a paper trail is
    via Ok_Passage_6242
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    the only thing that offers you any type of protection. NTA. Also, it's not your fault she was fired. She was fired because she pushed every limit she was given and then went over the line.
    via Ok_Passage_6242
  • 22
    hoginlly Exactly- Who gives a that she's a mother of three?? So being a parent means you can harass and ab e people in the workplace? If she has kids to provide for she should
    via hoginlly
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    get her job done and not commit fireable offences. Signed, a working mother of a toddler and currently pregnant
    via hoginlly
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    WhyAmlStill Here86 NTA Honestly, I'd be reporting her to police for attempted murder for deliberately triggering you. Medical Alert dogs aren't given out for no reason.
    via WhyAmlStillHere86
  • 25
    Legitimate-Sir-6236 NTA - YOU did not "get her fired." She got herself fired for engaging in gross misconduct, discrimination against another employee, and violating federal law. You did nothing wrong.
    via Legitimate-Sir-6236
  • 26
    Crazy RedHead1307 This. HR doesn't fire someone on the spot for no reason. You KNOW they told her to drop it after the first time she went to them about OPs dog. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that other co-workers were also complaining about her behavior and her HR file was an inch thick with complaints.
    via CrazyRedHead1307

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