I have a colleague, let's call him Gary, who sits a few rows down from me and had an emotional support dog. A lot of people in the office question whether this is truly a real "emotional support dog" because the dog is old. I've always defended Gary and the dog because I'm a strong believer in emotional support animals. (My cousin actually trains emotional support animals for a living).
Last week when driving home, the dog darted in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes, but unfortunately, the dog died.
I feel very bad for Gary's loss. However, my boss is now requesting I issue a public apology. I really don't feel I need to do this because:
This wasn't my fault at all
I ended up having to pay for my own car repair out of my own pocket
- My lawyer friend advised me that publicly apologizing could be inadvertently admitting fault
- This situation is already embarrassing enough
However, I also don't want to give people the impression that I'm heartless or that I'm one of the people in the office who have been questioning whether this is truly an emotional support animal.
Am I being too selfish in not wanting to apologize? How can I express my remorse and support for emotional support animals, while not admitting fault? Or should I just be quiet and let things simmer?