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Dog dies at Petsmart while in care of groomer.

6K views 46 replies 29 participants last post by  Concetta Parsons 
#1 ·
Dog Dies at San Mateo PetSmart While in Care of Groomer | NBC 7 San Diego

I went to the groomer one time, and to be honest it was scary to have my pup out of my sight for so long. At one point I had pet lizards, and Petsmart/Petco were notorious for their horribly cruel treatment of reptiles.

I am glad GSD are fairly easy grooming wise so that I can do everything myself. This is very scary!
 
#2 ·
I remember the one time I decided to take my girl to get groomed at PetSmart and when we came back, not only did they not do what we asked (She has an easy coat to maintain so it wasn't a hard thing to do) But they also rudely stated "She seemed very nervous and scared" with a look of -it's probably your fault she was-

Well duh! wouldn't you also be scared if you were just a puppy at the groomers for the first time?? I think they may have traumatized her cause now she's afraid of blow dryers. Then again, blow dryers are a scary thing.

Needless to say, we came home looking the same as we went with an additional bandana. Thanks PetSmart
 
#3 ·
I used Petsmart three times for my first dog as they were the only place local that was open in the late afternoon/evening. First experience was great, second was not so great, and third was awful so I went and bought my own clippers and did him myself for the rest of his life

For Jazzy I tried doing her myself but she always ended up looking horrible so I found a groomer in another town that was highly recommended. I went in and spoke with her letting her know what I was looking for and she invited me to come and stay with Jazzy and even help if that would make me feel better. I've been taking Jazzy there for years and yes I go straight into the back with her and we groom her together and the groomer is so awesome. She's a retired vet tech so loads of experience and it's a great experience, Jazzy is calm and the groomer has tons of patience and does a great job. I trust her now that I would leave her there if needed for the session but since it's a far drive I stay with her

For Delgado I just found a local place that offers DIY grooming and it's private so one dog at a time in a closed off room and I took him there a few weeks ago for the first time and it was awesome. Raised tub, all supplies such as towels and shampoo and brushes are all included in the fee, and she has a awesome powerful blower that really gets that undercoat out. Plus you leave the mess for them and walk away, all for $10 for 30 minutes. Talk about a deal!

In the end, do your research and hopefully you can find something that works for everyone
 
#5 ·
I only trust a small number of people with Sinister, he is my heart and we both have separation anxiety being away from each other so I always stay when he is at the groomers. I am right there the whole time, I don't care if I get wet and I don't care if I get hairy, I do not leave. I want to make sure he is not being mistreated and I want to make sure that if something were to happen I would be right there to help or intervene.

If something ever happened to him while being in the care of someone else.....................................................................
 
#6 ·
A good friend of mine was a groomer at petsmart. The problem with big box corporate business models is they treat animal handling care like they are widgets on a factory line. The store manager, who did not even own a dog or cat himself, was always pushing the groomers to groom faster, more dogs, faster, faster. My friend couldn't take it and left because dogs aren't widgets that you can fit into a down to the second profit margin window. If it's matted, fearful, aggressive you have to slow down. Petsmart turns employees over very fast because they don't pay well and have a lousy culture for humans too.
 
#7 ·
My daughter takes her Schnauzer to Pet Smart and is very happy with their grooming service.She says they do an excellent job,take all the time they need depending on the individual dog.Just lucky I guess to have found a well run store.
 
#8 ·
I took Ronin to a local groomer here. The first time, he hated it and was too stressed out to do anything. I found out later that they didn't even attempt to bathe or dry him. I went back a second time when a new team was there, and he was perfect! I stayed for a few minutes, and he was happily splashing around and letting them bathe him and dry him. When I went back, he was beautifully done and had no issues. I was told to just ask for the head girl next time because he liked her so much and she did an amazing job. The PetSmart around here doesn't have a good rep for grooming services so I never even thought to use them.
 
#9 ·
Before Katie, my bearded collie, passed away, I used a mobile pet groomer. It's quite common in Australia. My groomer had the hydrobath mounted in a trailer, and did the lot, including coat clipping. I was there when they groomed her, except for once. When Katie realized who it was, and why she was there, she ran and hid upstairs. When 'found', Katie resigned herself to the bathing. It wasn't the groomer she objected to, just the experience, she hated getting her nails done.

One thing I do wonder about though, is the possibility for dogs to pick up bacterial and fungal skin infections from a hydrobath that's lots of other dogs have been in.
 
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#10 ·
I took my yellow Lab, Max, to Petsmart one time and he went in fine and came out limping. I asked if anything had happened and nobody seemed to know anything. In my heart, I felt like it could have been a lot of things, maybe he slipped on the floor or something, but I never could bring myself to take him back there again. I subsequently developed a relationship with two groomers that I trusted with Max and with Newlie, I just take him to one of the two because they are closer. They both did a good job and I trusted them with my dogs. Not only would they not mistreat animals, they wouldn't stand for anyone else doing it either.
 
#12 ·
LOL kinda with you there. Personally I flat don't like those noose on the table things myself.

I prefer low maintenance breeds, and if one takes one of the high maintenance types ie needs hair cuts/trims, it would behove the owner of that dog, that it be well mannered!

No excuse for animal abuse in any case but most likely a poorly behaved dog was a factor here?? In anycase ... that guy looked like a "thug!" Maybe it was a bad hair day but I'd not have left my dogs in that guys care!
 
#14 ·
"I bought a hose extension for my shower."

I did too. But, the plumber who sold it to me advised me not to wash my dog in the shower as dog hair can cause a blockage in the pipe work. While draino does dissolve human hair, it doesn't dissolve dog hair.

I wash my dog outdoors and use the garden hose.
 
#15 ·
We don't need laws regulating groomers, we just need stricter laws and harsher penalties when it comes to animal cruelty.
We have a friendly and helpful "do it yourself" groomer in town. There set up really saves the strain on your back rather than using the tub at home. You can pay to have your pet groomer professionally though.
 
#17 ·
There is a pretty cool self-service dog wash here in town. We went over and checked it out one day to see what it was like. They had elevated tubs, with the same restaurant sprayers that we use at our shop, and high velocity dryers too. All coin operated like the car wash. If I wasn't a groomer and didn't have access to a grooming shop for my GSDs, I would certainly take my dogs there.
 
#20 ·
I was a manager for *the most popular big box pet store* for several years before my home business took off. I did see two dogs die in my tenure there. One in the grooming salon, one in the pet hotel. Also saw dozens of injuries.

Their policies while i was there contributed to the death of the hotel dog absolutely. I left shortly thereafter.

The grooming policies weren't much better. And actually getting the groomers to follow them? They work on commission. More dogs. More money. In multiple stores I pretty much found blatant disregard for safety policies regarding the kennel driers.

Meh. No one touches my dog without my supervision. If I had to use a groomer - i will NEVER use a big box store.
 
#21 ·
If I had to use a groomer - i will NEVER use a big box store.


I've been grooming for almost 40 years now (yikes, lol!) and can't imagine having to work under corporate grooming conditions. I learned to groom from a couple of guys that showed dogs professionally (toy handlers) and had a small grooming shop. Their work was the best in town. I was fortunate to learn from them.

That said, its not impossible to find a groomer you trust at a big box store. I know of two groomers at the Petco down the street that are good and trustworthy.
 
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#23 ·
Oh, and I haven't seen a cage dryer since the 70's. We blow dry everything.
 
#29 ·
I took Jupiter to Pet Smart recently (5/4/2016) and my experience was awful. They told me not to wait and watch, so I had no clue how or what they did. Also when clipping her nails I saw blood and they were trying to use medication on it. Finally she slipped out of the table and god forbid nothing happened but seeing all that happen in front of your own eyes, I decided to never take my baby there... :(
 
#32 ·
Tried the groomer when he was smaller and my boy grew to dislike it. Eventually stopped going when they said they wouldn't clip his nails because he was squirmy and was simply too big. They weren't a bad groomer, very detailed and the like, but if I'm paying that much money for them to just soap and dry? Nah.

Now I just use the hose (which is his #1 most favorite toy in the world). Although I really wish I knew how their ShopVac-powered dryer setup worked. He hates blow dryers and traditional vaccuum cleaners, but he'll fall asleep next to an active ShopVac.
 
#33 ·
I took my new dog to Petsmart for grooming. She was happy and looked great when done. No issues.

This was not a bad groomer, this was not a lack of "certification" this was a horrible human being who beat a dog. They can work at any place. It has nothing to do with Petsmart.

I will take my girl back to Petsmart. The groomer was great and Wicket trotted out(running in to everything as she is blind) but happy as a clam. Is it a show cut. Nope. Never expect that from a groomer on a terrier. But it's a good job.
 
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#42 ·
I agree that we shouldn't blame it all on Petsmart. It just so happened that they had that one groomer who mistreated their client's pets. We should, however, put focus on preventing this from happening again by pushing a law to be mandated for all pet groomers about mishandling pets. This way, there'll be less (or better yet, none at all) deaths of pets in the groomers' hands.
 
#36 ·
I completely agree. Its the opposite of what we do in a small shop. We have our own clientele, do all our own bathing, drying, haircuts, and scheduling. Everything is blown dry straight from the tub. Do as few or as many as we want. It's the least stressful way to do this job.
 
#37 ·
When my yellow lab got old and very frail, I took him in to the groomers that I had already been using for years. I told her that I wanted Max cleaned up a little bit, but that it didn't have to be perfect. Max could not jump up or even stand for long periods of time and it was more important to me that he not put under undue stress than for him to be perfectly groomed. She understood and agreed. Max got to lay down and rest when he got tired and they worked on him a little at a time.

When I took Newlie in for a bath before his surgery, I told them that he had a torn ACL, that he wasn't supposed to do any jumping and that the area was somewhat uncomfortable/painful to him. Again, they worked around it. I know at one point, there were several of them working with him down on the floor. When he started biting at the blow dryer, she had enough sense to call a halt, knowing that I would understand if he wasn't completely dry.

I have no doubt that there are wonderful groomer everywhere, I am just not sure that these kind of extras are available in many places besides in small shops.
 
#38 ·
When we used to use a groomer- a small privately owned business - our groomer often used caged driers. Now after reading this thread I realized how ignorant in thinking every groomer used them. I like the fact that dogfaeries uses hand blow dryers this sounds like a rare and luxury service to me- which in no means it should not be.
 
#41 ·
My cousin has been a groomer for 30 yrs. he is fantastic with dogs and comes highly recommended by everyone. He recently sold his shop because he was diagnosed with cancer and needed to focus on that. He is doing well now, so maybe he will get back into it. His passions are grooming and horses.
 
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