A shocking tragedy through neglect. Read if you have your dogs groomed!

[SoggyDoggy]

There are simply no words to describe this horrible event. I was surfing around on the net and came across this post on the dogs online forum. Have a read and keep it in mind if you use a groomer. I am just so thankful mine is the consummate professional, and that I am on the other side of the country!

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/245262-my-beautiful-buddy-hung-at-the-groomers-how-can-this-happen-%3B/

And later she says the salon contacted her. Post #242, not sure how to link to the direct post.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/245262-my-beautiful-buddy-hung-at-the-groomers-how-can-this-happen-%3B/page__st__240

Haven't finished reading the whole thread yet, will update through edit if anything else is said.

OMG though, that poor dog!

[Squirt's Mom]

Holy cow! How irresponsible and just plain STUPID! She may not be able to afford an attorney but if she is on any social media site, she needs to be YELLING at the top of her lungs about this, naming names and giving addresses. Good grief, that is just awful! I feel so sad for her not only losing her baby but in such a terrible, inexcusable manner. :(

[SoggyDoggy]

After now reading the whole thread (37 pages) she has reported them to a number of animal welfare organizations and has received a full written report from the vet that attended poor Buddy. As this happened less than two weeks ago, I guess it will be continuing for sometime yet, but it calls into question the lack of regulation and standards of grooming practices. Apparently a petition is doing the rounds in Florida (US) to establish standards and protocols for a similar reason. It was also revealed at the end of the thread that another incident at the same groomer had left another dog permanently injured.

Moral of this story, check your groomers practices out. They should never leave a dog on a table if they are out of arms reach, and visually check the setup to make sure you are happy with it before leaving.

Just can't believe it though, that poor old boy! And he was a beauty too. :(

[Squirt's Mom]

I read a few years back about dogs suffering and/or dying in the drying boxes and ever since do not let groomers dry my babies with anything but a towel. I take them home wet now on the rare occasions they see a groomer. ;) One lady didn't listen or forgot and put Squirt in the drying box. Squirt was ok and she looked great but I won't take her back there.

[Sabre's Mum]

I pop into the dogzonline forum daily and saw this when the OP posted the thread. It broke my heart .. I could only read a few posts. He was a beautiful dog.

Angela and Flynn

[addy]

what the heck is a drying box? You mean they dont use a hair dryer?

I dont think I better read this, I'll freak out. Koko goes to a very small salon and the owner always takes care of him. I trust her without question. Maybe I should not:(:o

[Simba's Mom]

Thats so sad, I hope the groomers license gets taken away!

[Roxee's Dad]

Sadly, the grooming industry is not well controlled or regulated. The drying boxes also known as cage drying can be dangerous if not monitored. Many shops are run like an assembly line. The first few dogs are washed and put into cages with a high velocity blowers placed on the front of the cage. This goes on until the first dog is dry. Then they start actually grooming the dog. a few states are starting to look into laws or ordinances to regulate this practice. Sadly, Yes, sometimes dogs do die in the process of "Cage Drying" Just google Cage Drying deaths.

One way to identify that your shop is using cage dryers is to ask to tour the facility. Many do not bathe and dry in the room that you can view. Many times it is done in a "back" room. if that room has cages stacked on top of each other and you see a big industrial type blower with many hoses extending out from a blower..... they most probably cage dry "drying box" Many do have a person monitoring but many don't and that is where tragedy happens. I have always invited my customers to take a look inside my van to give them a comfortable feeling that it was clean, safe and no cages.

Another fact of grooming shops is that many do not offer any water at all during the entire time the dog is in the shop. Why? because they won't have to waste time taking the dog for a potty walk and less chance of an accident while the dog is waiting in the cage to be picked up by the owner. An accident in the cage means another bath and visit to the drying box. If you ever notice your pup is extremely thirsty when it get's home, that is a good indication of not having access to water.

I did an internship at a grooming shop / boarding shop. The time I spent was the determining factor that I could never work in one. I decided to buy a mobile grooming van where I could work at my own pace and do just 1 dog at a time, giving my full attention and focus to that one dog. Yes, a mobile groomer does charge more than a regular assembly line grooming shop, but it is because of the one on one attention.

Something else I learned as I wanted to specialize in special needs and geriatric dogs was that a company makes special vest and harnesses for dogs that can't stand long or at all. These vest and belly bands became my standard use for all dogs. Yes, I still used a loop around the pups neck but the pup was also supported by a vest or a belly band that would keep the pup from stepping or falling off the table. I also built a rear table guard that I would use to keep the pup from accidentally backing off the table thus hanging himself or causing any type of neck or trachea injury. (actually I built it for Chewy, who was the pup of a dear friend and customer because he liked to lay down and roll back toward the back of the table) They also make a neck noose that will break open if any weight is exerted, so the dog doesn't hang by the neck, but one of the most important items about grooming is to never, ever, leave the dog unattended on the table. Never !!!

http://www.clippervac.com/petvest.htm

I have since gone into semi retirement although quite a few customers wanted me to keep on, so they now bring their doggies to my home and I have a little grooming room. I guess I could write a book on dirty little secrets of grooming. By all means, I do not mean to imply that all shops or groomers do this, their are many very good groomers and shops.... but many are just an assembly line where the owner gives the groomer 25 to 40 % of the grooming fees. So the more dogs they can run thru.... the bigger the paycheck. So in closing, all I can say is that most of these accidents can be avoided by spending a little extra money and using the right equipment and do not assume that the shop or groomer has your pups best interest in mind... as we always say here, you are your pups only voice and advocate, visit, ask questions, and tour the facility and use your best judgement.

[StarDeb55]

I also built a rear table guard that I would use to keep the pup from accidentally backing off the table thus hanging himself or causing any type of neck or trachea injury. (actually I built it for Chewy, who was the pup of a dear friend and customer because he liked to lay down and roll back toward the back of the table)

Sorry to threadjack, kind of. Gee, John, I didn't realize that the my old boy was such a character trying to get him groomed. What a lazy boy! Thanks for all the extra effort you made with both Chew & Harley. I do miss seeing you.

I just want to let everyone else know that this is exactly why I've used a mobile groomer for about 3 years or so, now. I would not have any of my boys cage dried as Chewy was blind & would have freaked. Harley was 15 years old & couldn't take it. I have been extremely lucky with John's retirement that I found a grooming shop about 3 months ago that absolutely does not cage dry, they do not crate a pup while they're waiting either for their baths, or for their parent to pick them up. They have, now, done Obi twice & I've been very satisfied with their work. They even have their website listed a cagefreegrooming. com.

Debbie

[SoggyDoggy]

Yeah these factory line "salons" can be a scary business. My boys go every 8 weeks, have done for their entire lives, but my groomer is amazing. She is a small practice, only her and her sister who helps out with bathing the dogs. The hydro bath is out the back, but the dryer (when used) is in the same room as she is when grooming dogs, so always under constant attention. Also, there is only a chest high barrier between the "reception" and the "grooming rom". It's very open and also only ever one dog being groomed at a time. When the dogs are finished being groomed, she rings us to come and pick them up. At any one time, there is never more than 3-4 dogs there, in the stages of finished, in process and waiting to start. Those that aren't in process, are on the floor playing (secured by leads on the other side of the room so as not to knock her), or having a nap. She also brings her own dog to work with her daily, so I know that the level of monitored attention is always high. I always bath and dry my boys before dropping them off, so we are in and out pretty quickly as it is just the cut, about 2-3 hours for 2 dogs, depending on the time between dropping and starting them off.

I've also noticed she has big dog days and little dog days, or if mixed on the same day, they tend to be split morning or afternoon. I think this is so that there is no hassle between big and little dogs - some can be fussy as we know. But as she is so full client-base wise, she is very particular about who she lets through the door. If she doesn't like the dogs temperament, you aren't allowed back. So there is never any fighting or growling, no snapping and NO FLEAS! (you get in trouble if you bring fleas in I've been told, likewise if the dog has knots i the coat. That means you aren't paying enough attention to it between grooming sessions)

I was just so horrified to read that post, it never occurred to me that something like that could even happen! I guess I've just been so lucky to find such a quality groomer long term that I didn't realise things could be that horrific. And unfortunately, you don't need a license to setup as a groomer, just trimmers. That's what the problem is. I think after this, because of the days of social media, the story is being spread far and wide and hopefully some kind of regulation will be put into place here. :(

[molly muffin]

I prefer the one on one attention from my groomer. She has been doing Molly since she was a baby and only does one dog at a time and doesn't overlap them. I know Molly gets anything she wants from her, water, treats, the keys to the car. She spoils her rotten and I've gone into both her home grooming room and to the doggy day care where she also grooms and again, one on one, no overlap of grooming. I've used the groomer at the vet when molly is staying over for some reason, but I know they don't have the setup for "mass grooming" there, since that isn't their main thing. They do have one on staff though.
I highly recommend anyone and everyone use a one on one situation for grooming.
This just scares the bejeebes out of me.

[BugsMum]

I am actually quite surprised the salon admitted all this negligence! Obviously too stupid to take proper care of the animals, and then too slow-minded to lie and protect their business. I don't mean to sound like I am condoning being untruthful, but most business owners would do this to protect the business.

Anyway, I have been giving my little one haircuts for years - they are not the greatest, but she is safely at home. I used to get the human-clippers at about $50, and then throw them out each year, but now you can get very affordable pet clippers at places such as the Shaver shop. I think mine were $70-80 and they are working pretty well so far.

[mcdavis]

Even before I read this I'd decided that I wouldn't get another dog until we'd moved and I'd completed a grooming course so that I could do it myself. This was after Hamish returned from the (supposedly) best groomer in the area with a massive eye ulcer that they claimed they didn't notice!
We've moved around a lot, and have had to rely on word of mouth / recommendations for vets, groomers, etc. Mostly we've been lucky, but our current location has been a nightmare. Just before we lost Hamish I found a great vet in the US and I would willingly have driven 6 hours (one way) if I still had him rather than take him to any of the local vets.
It's so horribly sad that people get away with such appalling behaviour because our pets can't tell us what they've endured.

[Barb]

OMG. This is a disgrace. I've heard of this before with groomers and also groomers at the chain pet stores.

If there is a mobile dog groomer in your area and you can't groom yourself, this is the next best thing. But, get references first.
I have a lady that drives up to my house with her van that is completely outfitted for grooming. Also, I can just walk outside & check up on her.

I only use her maybe twice a year for 2 of my long haired pups that need a cut because of the weather. Rest of the time I bath them myself.