By james art RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A Reno woman is walking out after being kicked out of a casino for not having her service dog. Now she’s looking for more education and accountability.
Heather Vanus says she has been a regular at Nugget Casino Resort for the past 3 years.
“The Nugget is my family,” Vanus said.
Some weeks, Vanus says he visits his friends 4 to 5 times at the casino. Accompanying Vanus on her travels is her medicine dog, Cherry, who is trained to alert Vanus if she is about to have a seizure.
“They know who we are. When we walk in, they automatically bring me water for my dog,” Vanus explained.
The atmosphere, which is typical of Vanus, quickly changed two weeks ago when a security guard approached her and told her to leave because Cheri was not present.
“They said you can either get out or leave in handcuffs,” Vanus said. After this happened, my fiance looked at me and asked if this really happened. I said it really just happened.
On the day of the accident, Vanus says that Cherry had just been fixed. Since her fiancé was with her at the casino, she thought it was safe to leave Cheri’s home if she had a medical episode.
“The security told me that if she stayed home, then I had to stay home with her,” Vanous recalled.
Vanus considered Nugget her safe place and adds that not being able to see her friends there was heartbreaking. Now all she wants is an apology and for Nugget to train their staff on how to handle others with medical dogs.
“Maybe that will make a difference because sometimes the staff just isn’t trained,” Vanus said.
Kolo 8 reached out to Nugget, who issued a statement saying:
“Nugget Casino Resort is fully committed to complying with all ADA requirements and we welcome all guests with disabilities who use pets. Service animals are always welcome on our property and our staff is trained to ensure that all guests are treated with respect and in compliance with federal and state laws. While we cannot comment on specific incidents, we remain dedicated to offering an inclusive environment for all of our guests.”
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