It is always nerve wracking to bring your pet to the groomer because you never know what can happen! Grooming accidents and even deaths happen more than people imagine, so it is totally valid for you to be worried about you canine! This is just plain barking not right!
Now we all know that even experienced groomers can make mistakes at times and have tiny non- threatening accidents while working on your dog once in a blue moon, but what do you do if your pooch is seriously injured on the grooming table?
Sadly, Animal Fair‘s Wendy Diamond was forced to ask herself that very question when Baby Hope recently went in for her routine groom at PETCO. When it was time to bring Baby home from the salon, Wendy wasn’t expecting to discover what she did: Baby Hope had fresh cuts all over her and was bleeding! Even though Wendy is the premier pet lifestyle expert, she was shocked and in the moment didn’t think about punishing PETCO for hurting her pup, she focused on making sure Baby Hope was OK!
After visiting the veterinarian Wendy made sure PETCO knew what happened to her beloved Baby Hope, and after correspondence with corporate and the local branch, the pet supplies retailer reimbursed her vet and grooming bill. See pictures of Baby returning from the vet, still terrified of what happened to her at PETCO, below:
Animal Fair Media realizes that PETCO isn’t purposely hurting animals, but they do need to ensure that their groomers are licensed, accountable, and sensitive to the animals they groom. Unbelievably, no state requires groomers to be licensed. So it’s up to companies like PETCO, to act and become more responsible and implement a new, fully transparent groomer training program, providing them with certificates and holding them accountable when they injure our loved ones.
We are asking PETCO to join us with enforcing stricter grooming initiatives. This will be a win/win situation for PETCO! They will be seen as forerunners in the pet grooming industry and media by being accountable and making mandatory changes to their grooming policies.
In the past there have been countless cases of groomers injuring dogs, sometimes severely. Many cases go unreported or are so buried in paper work that the helpless victim never gets to see justice. Here are just a few examples detailing serious incidents of dogs being mistreated while in the care of a groomer:
In December of 2006, Anni Sherffius of Pierce County, Washington took her Shih Tzu named Jasmine to the groomers. Upon returning home, Jasmine was crying and obviously in pain but Sherffius could not figure out why- until she put her dog in the tub and her ear began floating in the water detached from her head. When Sherffius rushed Jasmine to the vet, the doctor determined that her ear had been cut off and then glued back on. The groomer was never arrested because when Sherffius and the police tried to contact them, the phone was disconnected and the store gone.
In February 2015, a pug named Pujo was dropped off at the groomers for a routine nail trim and bath. Sadly, Pujo never came home. He died at the groomers after being put in a fatal head restraint because he reportedly was being uncooperative. Pujo’s parents are now trying to get justice for Pujo, check out their Facebook page here.
In September of 2014, a well- mannered schnauzer named Buddy was handed over to a mobile groomer for a haircut. The session, that took place in the back of the mobile grooming unit, was cut short by a good samaritan who heard Buddy crying and looked in the window to see the groomer beating Buddy while he was hanging from a rope. The witness pulled the unit door open and saved Buddy while contacting authorities.
These alarming stories are just three of the thousands of cases that happen each year. Make sure you take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening to your pup, and hold groomers accountable!
Don’t ever feel like there is nothing you can do if your dog is hurt at the groomers! Think about it this way, if you were at the hair salon and ended up getting cut badly, you wouldn’t just let that slide! You would probably be very upset and you would make a stir about it! Your pets don’t have a voice of their own to confront the groomer, but you do, and your pooch expects you to stand up for them! Here are some things you can do if your pooch has been the victim of a grooming incident:
1. You can file a lawsuit against the salon: If your dog’s injuries from a grooming accident are severe enough that you had to rush your furry friend to the hospital or bring them to a veterinarian, then filing a small claims lawsuit is definitely something you want to consider. This way you can hold the groomer or salon responsible for the suffering of your dog went through and also insist they cover the cost of the vet bill.
2. Contact other authorities: Serious injuries from something involving the groomers is a problem that won’t get fixed by asking to ‘speak to the manager’. It is a very good idea to involve your local authorities if severe mistreatment takes place or you witness the gross mistreatment of other animals at the groomer! Lastly, if the person who hurt your dog is confrontational or showing no remorse, it is in your and your dogs best interest to call local authorities like the police or animal control.
3. Public attention: If the first two options do not work for you and your dog, you can alert the public about this groomer by writing into newspapers, posting on social media, or even being on the local news. By doing this, you can prevent other tragedies by using the power of public awareness!
4. Prevention: When choosing a groomer, you want to make sure you chose the right one so that you can prevent any salon related tragedies. Read reviews of a perspective business, ask for recommendations from your vet, and even double check to make sure whichever place you do chose, that they have the proper licenses to handle your dog! Moreover, if you want to ultimately prevent mistreatment and harm from a groomer, learn how to groom make your dog beautiful at home!
5. Advocate for stricter animal abuse laws: If there is one thing I think a lot of loving dog owners can agree on is that the current laws surrounding animal abuse are not strict enough! With that said, in many states the legislation restricting and regulating dog groomers can be pretty lax or virtually non existent. In fact, there are only a few states that require thorough training and legal licensing for pet groomers, which we think is unacceptable. Take the time to research the laws and regulations for the grooming industry in your neck of the woods. Furthermore, to protect your pets and the lives of other animals who are entering the salon, bug your local and state representatives to create stricter regulations and punishments on groomers who mistreat their dog customers!
We want to know how you feel! Comment below with your personal stories or what you think dog groomer’s responsibilities are!
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