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

“I’m fit, I look healthy,” Snider said. So, in the 10 years she relied on a service dog, she “got used to getting harassed about it.”

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

“I train service dogs for veterans. “I mean, I am very, very knowledgeable about the law and I will fight this fight,” he said.

Drew Smith, Denver7

Snider started dog training business”Sit Together” After experiencing the benefits of a service animal firsthand.

“I was a paramedic downtown and it was pretty traumatic,” Snider said. “I was shot, I was stabbed as a paramedic. Beer bottles broke on my head.”

When she rescued her first dog, a boxer named Tickles, she said, “I realized how much he changed my life and how much he helped me.”

It made her think that if her senior father, who was dying from complications of alcoholism, had had access to his service dog, it might have saved his life.

He has been training dogs ever since. “And it turned out later that I was actually going to develop health issues where I would need additional support,” she said.

Snider was diagnosed with Autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, various heart conditions, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, also known as POTS.

“I faint randomly,” he said.

This is where the service dog comes into play.

Six years ago, Snider decided to foster him from a local shelter.

“He came to my apartment as if he was going to stay there,” she said. “And I say, ‘okay El Jefe, you make the rules.’ So it all started as a joke.”

But the name and the dog stuck around.

Drew Smith, Denver7

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

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

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

“As a retired paramedic, I don’t think I should go unless I die,” he said. But he knew he needed help.

It was around 21.30 when he arrived. He said that the security guard at the entrance of the emergency room asked for documentation for the service dog.

“When the guy asked me for documents, I looked at him and said, ‘there’s no such thing as documentation,'” Snider said.

Tried to talk to him Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)A federal civil rights law that protects people like Snider from discrimination.

Jennifer Snider

Snider said he offered to turn on the ADA on his phone, but the security guard insisted he knew the law and refused to talk further about it.

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

“It’s a thirty-minute struggle to be seen when you can barely stand,” he said.

His service dog, El Jefe, stayed with him.

“He leans on me while he does the pressure therapy he has to do when he senses I’m stressed,” she said.

Eventually, Snider said he spoke to a supervisor who helped him and his service dog get into the hospital to access the medical care they needed.

Emily Shuman, who helps Coloradans understand the law Rocky Mountain ADA Center“The most common misconception about the ADA and service animals is that there is some kind of service animal registration or certification process,” he said. But this is not true.”

A service animal is “specifically trained to do work or perform some type of task to assist a disabled person with their disability,” Shuman said.

Under the ADA, staff in a public place like a hospital can only ask for “credible verbal assurance,” he said. They may ask two questions: Is this a service animal needed because of a disability? So what job or task was this animal trained to perform?

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

“Denying access with a service animal constitutes a form of discrimination on the basis of disability, which of course violates the ADA,” Shuman said. “If a person feels discriminated against, he or she can file a complaint with the enforcement agency.”

After recovering from his illness, Snider contacted the hospital and security company to inform them of the situation and request that employees receive more training. He said he didn’t get any response.

Denver7 reached out to Lutheran Hospital, and a representative said that although Snider allowed the hospital to respond, patient privacy law prevented the hospital from commenting on Snider’s experience.

Lutheran Hospital released a statement via email: “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 We comply with federal laws. Our caregivers receive frequent education and training, so they are equipped to provide the best care for all patients, including service animals. If questions or concerns arise, we also address and correct problems promptly and at the highest level of care for all our patients. “We continually review and improve our practices to ensure we provide care.”

Drew Smith, Denver7

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

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

“He injured me. I will probably never have a consistent emergency room visit again. I would have to drift into an unconscious because it was so traumatic,” Snider said.

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

“If someone has a service dog, they’re already going through some difficulty in life, so you shouldn’t add to their struggle by abusing them,” she said. “I will take on this challenge to make sure that the person who can’t handle this situation doesn’t have to.”