A Lubbock woman who depends on a wheelchair, said her service dog was taken from her two days before Christmas.
Terri Cothrum, 51, said her service dog Ringo was taken by staff at Heritage Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock.
“A service dog is allowed anywhere,” Cothrum said. “They’re saying that he scared people.”
Cothrum explained that a staff member was threatened by her service animal, which prompted action by administrators.
She said administrators were prepared to take him to the pound, but a nurse volunteered to bring him home in the meantime.
“Now, he’s at a nurse’s house. Administrators were going to send him to the pound, but the nurse said she’d take him.” she said. “She was so sweet for doing that.”
Cothrum, who was in a and lives off medicaid and medicare, said the decision to take Ringo could not have come at a worse time.
“I have no family. He was my family,” Cothrum added. “They ruined my Christmas.”
“I need a service dog. Something that can pick things up for me, do things for me, and pull my wheelchair,” she said.
Administrators at Heritage Oaks declined to be interview. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
Heritage Oaks Nursing & Rehabilitation Center abides by all ADA regulations and requirements. We also have an obligation to ensure the safety of all residents, visitors and staff members at the center.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines indicate that service animals were not required to be certified as services animals as part of a condition for entry into a covered entity.
But, “staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog.”
However, ADA guidelines show “if a particular service animal behaves in a way that poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, has a history of such behavior, or is not under the control of the handler, that animal may be excluded.”
According to ADA guidelines, “staff may request that the animal be removed from the premises” if a service animal is out of control, adding that “if a dog barks just once, or barks because someone has provoked it, this would not mean that the dog is out of control.”
“[Ringo is] very calm,” Cothrum said. “I’ve trained him, I’ve worked with him. I love my baby.”
