Atlas twitched in response, his calm composure shaken by the sudden motion. He let out a sharp, extremely brief bark. Meanwhile, a nearby child, fascinated by the dog, had wandered forward and reached out to stroke him. The small child shrieked at the sudden bark, and began to cry.
The child’s parents quickly picked her up, turned toward Liam, their expressions disapproving. “How could you let this happen?” they asked, eye-rolling even as Liam quickly tried to explain, “He’s a trained service dog. The child startled him after the seat was pushed—he wasn’t being aggressive.”