Animal rights activists have lashed out a blind man with a guide dog and scolded him for making the dog work rather than letting it run free.

As Scotland-based Jonathan Attenborough claimed, he was walking around with Sam the Labrador, his guide dog, when a woman approached him and told him to let the dog be free instead of making the animal work because of his disability.

While it may seem bizarre that anyone would do something like that, Jonathan said this wasn’t the first time he was harassed by animal rights activists.

“The first time it happened to me was in April this year. I was in a café in Edinburgh with Sam and a man approached me to tell me I shouldn’t have a guide dog,” the blind man told MailOnline.

“He said dogs should be running free in the fields, not sitting in cafes. I thought he was joking at first. He wasn’t particularly hostile, just looking to have a conversation, and after I explained what kind of life Sam has, he wasn’t 100 percent convinced but he did seem much more open to the idea.”

This recent incident, however, was much worse according to Jonathan. As he expressed, the confrontation left him concerned about what else, or who else, he might encounter in the future.

According to Jonathan, the woman who told him off for walking with a guide dog was very aggressive and “in your face.” In addition, she refused to listen to his explanation and had to be dragged off the scene by her husband.

After the incident went viral, Guide Dogs’ representative Tim Stafford spoke out and said:

“We are always extremely sorry to hear when a guide dog owner encounters hostility, and we will offer support in every way we can. Fortunately, these instances are very rare. The welfare of our dogs is absolutely paramount and they are bred and trained with great care.”

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