To Be Nice? or Honest? Story

Recently upon leaving a theatre with several friends we encountered outside a restaurant a little white dog tied to a bench shivering with cold and fear with no owner in sight. My friends wanted to simply pass by while complaining about uncaring animal owners. Myself being a passionate dog lover could not stand the sight of this poor dog’s suffering. I entered the restaurant and asked who owned the dog. The owner, a young woman, was sitting at a table eating with a friend. I told her that her dog was shaking in cold and fear. She said she was OK with it. I said her dog wasn’t. I kindly suggested she consider obtaining a certification that would allow her to bring her dog into the restaurant (and other public places) as a NSAR service animal (easily obtained on the internet. Check it out.) In confronting a stranger I wasn’t being “nice” by most standards. My friend was upset and couldn’t  see that sometimes being “nice” is not always for the highest good. In my view it is sometimes more important to do something “not nice” for a higher cause. What do you think?