SAN ANTONIO – A former canine coach for K9s For Warriors has filed a discrimination lawsuit in federal courtroom in San Antonio, claiming that the nonprofit refused to permit her to make use of her service canine at work and later fired her.
The swimsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, claims the organization violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and demonstrated incapacity discrimination towards Alyssa Anderson, who labored for the San Antonio location of the Florida-based nonprofit till final yr.
Anderson’s lawsuit was first reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Anderson, who in response to the swimsuit has been recognized with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiousness, despair and ADHD, requested that she be allowed to carry her service canine “Pooh Bear” to work starting within the fall of 2022 as a result of her disabilities.
While the nonprofit accommodated Anderson’s request on a “60-day trial basis,” she was instructed in January 2023 that she may now not take Pooh Bear in public whereas working, the swimsuit states.
Additionally, Anderson was instructed Pooh Bear must be stored in a crate whereas on the San Antonio location and will solely be let loose whereas he interacted together with her, in response to the lawsuit.
The following month, Anderson was knowledgeable that her request couldn’t be accommodated and her employment was being terminated, the swimsuit states.
The swimsuit additionally alleges that Anderson was held to a special commonplace than different trainers who used service dogs as a result of Pooh Bear had not been educated by K9s For Warriors.
Reached for remark Wednesday, Anderson’s lawyer stated his shopper’s service canine didn’t intrude together with her job duties in any method.
A spokeswoman for K9s For Warriors launched the next assertion to KSAT Wednesday:
While we don’t touch upon ongoing litigation, K9s For Warriors is a educated advocate for the usage of Service Dogs within the employment setting in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and gives programmatic instruction, coaching, and advocacy on the topic to its graduating Warrior and Service Dog groups. K9s strictly adheres to the ADA regulation in its personal employment practices as effectively.
Anderson started working for K9s For Warriors in San Antonio as an apprentice canine coach in September 2021 earlier than being promoted to canine coach after which to coaching liaison.
Her lawyer confirmed to KSAT on Wednesday that the swimsuit doesn’t request a certain amount of damages and that he’ll enable a jury to find out a good quantity.
K9s For Warriors’ San Antonio campus obtained enlargement funding from the town in 2022 within the type of bond money, regardless of complaints from the general public that the nonprofit was exaggerating what number of dogs it had rescued regionally.
K9s For Warriors, which touts itself because the nation’s largest supplier of service dogs for veterans, laid off workers, together with in San Antonio, final yr.
Read extra reporting on the KSAT Investigates web page.
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
