I work in a hotel. Our property regularly hosts phlebotomy training classes. The star of this story is one of the trainees attending a class here. We’ll call her Linda.
On this lovely morning, I get a phone call asking if we accept pets. I inform the caller that we are not a pet-friendly facility, but the hotel right next door certainly is. The caller thanks me and hangs up. No problem, right? Wrong.
Sometime around 2:00 pm, Linda and her son, who looks to be around twelve years old — arrive for check-in. No big deal; check-in is at 3:00, but the room is ready. As soon as I start speaking with them, I realize that Linda is the guest who called earlier asking about pets… and then her son goes out to their vehicle and comes back in with a purse puppy on a leash.
Me: “Ma’am, is that a service dog required for a disability?”
Linda: “No, it isn’t. But she’s going to be staying with my brother who lives in town.”
So, why aren’t you staying with him, then?
Me: “Okay, ma’am, just checking as we are not a pet-friendly facility.”
The boy takes the dog back out to the vehicle, and check-in proceeds as normal.
Flash forward to breakfast the next morning. I’m chatting with the breakfast manager when, lo and behold, I see Linda come off the elevators with the PURSE PUPPY IN HER ARMS. She makes it out the front doors before I can get over to her, so I wait at the desk for her to come back inside.
She does, and before I can even say anything, she rushes by, hollering:
Linda: “We got her registered last night so that she can stay, thank yooou!”
I am confused.
I immediately call the general manager to clarify what Linda was talking about. (Did she get a letter from her doctor stating the dog is an emotional support animal [ESA]? Are we making an exception for her and I didn’t get the memo?) The manager confirms that we are not making an exception for Linda; even if the dog is an ESA, it cannot stay on the property with her. (Our property does not accept ESAs unless the guest is staying for thirty days or longer). Then, the manager gives me the go-ahead to give Linda an ultimatum: either the dog leaves or she does.
I try to ring the room to speak with Linda, and of course, I get the voicemail because she’s snuck back downstairs to the meeting room for the phlebotomy classes.
After a few hours, I see her when the classes break for lunch. I stop her at the front desk.
Me: “Ma’am, I need you to clarify what you meant earlier when you said that you had ‘registered the dog so she could stay with you’.”
Linda: “Yeah, I had her registered late last night.”
Me: “Ma’am, do you mean you registered her as an emotional support animal?”
Linda: “No, she’s a true service dog.”
Me: *Pauses* “Ma’am, that is not how that works. There is no registry for service animals.”
Linda: “Oh, yes, there is. I’ll show you my paperwork and letters right now!”
She proceeds to pull out her phone.
Me: “That’s not necessary. There is no registry or paperwork required for service animals and their handlers. Whatever you are about to show me is false documentation, and if you have paid any amount of money for this ‘registration’, you have unfortunately been scammed. As it stands, the decision from my general manager is as follows: the dog cannot stay on the property, and if we see it anywhere on the premises again, you will be asked to leave, as well.”
She proceeds to argue with me for several minutes, but as a long-time front desk agent, I know the ADA laws like the back of my hand, and I have zero intention of playing her game. At one point, she asks:
Linda: “If we check out, will we get our money back for last night?”
Me: “Absolutely not. We can cancel your remaining nights, but you will not be refunded for the night you stayed.”
Eventually, she realizes I am not going to give in to her demands and turns to leave. Just before exiting the front doors, she turns back around.
Linda: “You could say thank you! There’s no reason to be hateful!”
Me: “Thank you for what, ma’am? You blatantly disregarded our no-pets policy and snuck your dog in, and now you are lying about its status as a service animal after telling me yesterday that it is not.”
Linda: “But we’re taking her out, so you could say thank you!”
I just stare at her, stone-faced.
Linda: *Imitating my voice* “Thank you, Mrs. Linda!”
I continue to stare at her as she turns again and walks out.
Not even an hour later, I get a call from corporate.
Corporate Agent: “There is a guest checking in today who has been told that we do not accept service animals in any capacity?”
I ask for confirmation of the guest’s name, and it’s LINDA! I correct the agent and give them the hotel’s version of events, and that is the end of that — or so I think.
The next couple of days go by normally, and I’m working at the desk with another front desk agent, showing her how to fix something on the computer, when Linda strolls through the lobby with her son and stops at the front doors. I glance up and say, “Have a wonderful day!” as I always do when folks are headed out the door.
Linda: “And [My Name]? The next time I come back here, I will beat the f*** out of you!”
Cue an instant energy shift in the lobby. I take a single step in her direction.
Me: “Excuse me? What did you just say to me?”
Linda: “I SAID, the next time I come here, I will beat the f*** out of you!”
Me: “You don’t have to worry about that, because you will not be allowed back here again.”
Linda: “Oh, so do you want to meet me outside, then? We can take care of this right now!”
Me: “I suggest that you turn around and leave before I call the police and have you removed.”
Linda: “Go ahead and call them, then!”
I pick up my phone and begin to dial. Linda grabs her son and runs out the door.
Coworker: “Did that seriously just happen? Did I just witness that?”
Me: “Yup. Welcome to Auda City, population: that b****. Aaaand welcome to our Do Not Rent list!”
Our wonderful general manager also contacted the phlebotomy class training coordinator about Linda’s conduct, and as far as I’m aware, Linda is no longer employed with the hospital that sent her for training.
Needless to say, if you are in the HEALTHCARE career industry, you should know better than most how incredibly difficult, costly, and time-consuming it is to obtain a legitimate service animal and have it trained. You should know better than most how faking a service dog can be harmful to true service dog handlers and teams and how it makes it harder for them to get the access that they genuinely need.
