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“When we have a registered service dog, the service dog organization has all that information (required for pre-registration),” she said. “We shouldn’t have to start providing it to every place we try to access publicly.”

Calgary Zoo spokesperson Trish Exton-Parder said all service animals are required to be registered online before a visit, a policy that’s been in place for the last five years.

Exton-Parder said the information is well advertised on the zoo’s website and registration is required so that staff can go through the paperwork ahead of time to ensure it’s legitimate and up to date.

“The reality is because we have a live collection of animals all our animals can carry diseases and dogs can carry diseases,” she said.

“If somebody doesn’t have the proper vaccinations and hasn’t taken the time to fill out the form and let us know they’re coming, we can’t allow them in because it’s a danger to their dog and a danger to our animals.”

The online registration form requires information about the dog’s vaccination records and a copy of the dog’s certification card. This must be submitted two business day before a visit, the site reads. The zoo service animal policy states that it “has a strong responsibility to the collection of animals under its care and must do everything it can to protect the animals.”

Exton-Parder said the zoo has worked closely with animal agencies to come up with this policy and registration form.

“There’s no question that the zoo is accessible to everybody but when it comes to people bringing their own animals into an animal environment there has to be very strict veterinary rules for that to happen because it’s a risk for everybody,” she said.

And while Girard said she understands the zoo has to have policies, she said it was still hard to be turned away.

“I appreciate that the zoo wants to protect their animals but if they’re going to have these kinds of policies then they really do need to make it publicly known,” she said. “That caught us off guard and we have enough battles.”