By james art RENO, Nev. (KOLO/Gray News) – A woman in Nevada was recently kicked out of a casino because she didn’t have her service dog.
Heather Vanus said she has been a regular at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno for the past three years.
She and her therapy dog, Cherry, will visit the casino for several weeks up to four or five times a week. Cherry is trained to warn 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 said.
What is typically a home-away-from-home atmosphere for Vanus quickly changed two weeks ago when a security guard approached her and told her to leave because Cheri wasn’t present.
“They said you can either leave or you can leave in handcuffs,” Vanus said. “After it happened, my fiance looked at me and asked if that really just happened.”
Vanus said she didn’t take Cherry that day because she just got better. She felt it was safe to leave her service dog at home since she was with her fiance at the casino in case she had a medical emergency.
“The security told me that if she stayed home, I had to stay home with her,” Vanus said.
Vanus considered the Nugget to be 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.
Nugget Casino issued the following statement in response to the incident:
“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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