DENVER AND WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — When Jennifer Snider and her black-and-white spotted Australian Cattle Dog walk into a room, it’s not always obvious that it’s her service animal.

“I’m in good shape, I look healthy,” Snider said. So, over the 10 years she used a service dog, she “got used to being harassed about it.”

But when a hospital security guard nearly blocked her from entering an emergency room last month, she felt it was time to fight for better education about the laws protecting access.

“I train service dogs for veterans. So, I know the law very, very well and I will fight,” she said.

Drew Smith, Denver7

Snider started his dog training business »Get together» after experiencing the benefits of a service animal herself.

“I was a paramedic downtown, and it was just pretty traumatic,” Snider said. “I’ve been shot, I’ve been stabbed as a paramedic. I’ve had beer bottles broken on my head.

When she rescued her first dog, a pug named Tickles, she said, “I realized how much she changed my life and how helpful it was to me. »

It made him think that if his veteran father, who died from complications related to alcoholism, had had access to a service dog, it might have saved his life.

She has been training dogs ever since. “And it turns out that later I would develop health issues that I would need additional support for,” she said.

Snider was diagnosed with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, several heart problems and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, also known as POTS.

“I randomly pass out,” she said.

This is where his assistance dog comes in.

Six years ago, Snider decided to place him in a local shelter.

“He walked into my apartment like he was there to stay,” she said. “I’m like, okay, El Jefe, you make the rules. So it started as a joke.”

But the name and the dog remained.

Drew Smith, Denver7

“When he wears his vest, he ignores everything. He’s doing his job,” Snider said. “But because I look healthy, people say, ‘Oh, he’s not really a service dog.'”

That’s what happened in early October when Snider visited Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge.

She was nauseous and dehydrated. She had gone to urgent care earlier in the day, where medical professionals told her to go to the emergency room if her symptoms persisted.

“As a retired paramedic, I figure unless I die, I shouldn’t go,” she said. But she knew she needed help.

It was around 9:30 p.m. when she arrived. She said the security guard at the emergency room entrance demanded documentation for her service dog.

“When the guy asked me for documentation, I looked at him and I was like, ‘Well, the documentation doesn’t exist,'” Snider said.

She tried to talk to him during the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)a federal civil rights law that protects people like Snider from discrimination.

Jennifer Snider

Snider offered to display the ADA on his phone, but the security guard insisted he knew the law and refused to discuss it further, she said.

“I’m in the emergency room, so I want to be seen. And I’m in tears at this point,” she said.

“Thirty minutes of fighting to be seen when we could barely stand,” she said.

Her service dog, El Jefe, stayed by her side.

“He just leans on me to do the pressure therapy he’s supposed to do when he senses I’m stressed,” she said.

Eventually, Snider said she spoke with a supervisor who helped her and her service dog get into the hospital to access the medical care she needed.

Emily Shuman, who helps Coloradans understand the law as director of the Rocky Mountain ADA Centersaid, “A common misconception regarding the ADA and service animals is that there is some sort of registry or certification process for service animals. But that’s not true.

A service animal is “specifically trained to perform a job or some sort of task for a person with a disability to help them overcome their disability,” Shuman said.

Under the ADA, staff at a public place like a hospital can only ask for a “credible verbal assurance,” she said. They can ask two questions: Is this a service animal necessary for a disability? And what work or task was this animal trained for?

The law does not allow staff to ask questions about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documents for the dog, or request that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task, according to the ADA website.

“Denying access to a service animal constitutes a form of disability discrimination, which, of course, violates the ADA,” Shuman said. “If a person believes they have been discriminated against, they can file a complaint with a law enforcement agency.”

Once Snider recovered from her illness, she contacted the hospital and security company to inform them of the situation and request that employees receive more training. She said she received no response.

Denver7 contacted Lutheran Hospital and a representative said patient confidentiality law prevented the hospital from commenting on Snider’s experience, although Snider gave consent for the hospital to respond.

Lutheran Hospital provided an emailed statement: “Lutheran Hospital takes great care to provide an inclusive, accessible, safe and healing environment for our patients and guests, including those who rely on service animals. We comply with all state and federal laws, including the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Our caregivers frequently receive education and training, so they are equipped to provide the best care to all patients, including those accompanied by service animals. If any questions or concerns arise, we address and correct the issues promptly. We also continually review and improve our practices to ensure we meet the needs of all our patients and provide the highest level of care.

Drew Smith, Denver7

The security company did not respond to calls or emails from Denver7.

Snider also filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Colorado Division of Civil Rights.

“It left an impression on me. I will probably never go to another consistent emergency room. I’m going to have to be dragged into unconsciousness, because it was so traumatic,” Snider said.

Snider hopes sharing his experience will help protect others from similar situations.

“If someone has a service dog, they’re already struggling a little bit in life, so you shouldn’t make their situation worse by harassing them,” she said. “I’m going to fight to make sure the person who can’t handle this situation doesn’t have to.”