Please know, that I am not trying to bash PetSmart.
As a publisher, I interact with many people
and hear a lot of their stories.
I can not judge. I just pass on the stories
and you, the consumer will have to judge.
And if PetSmart wants to answer to all these
allegations, I will gladly run their response as well.
This came in today, from a former employee...
My heart breaks for each one of you who has lost your pet do to understaffed, undertrained people at Petsmart. More importantly and more tragic,
my heart breaks for the animals who have no control over their situation.
These animals are taken to Petsmart,where they are forced to indure cruel and inhumane treatement,(all for the almighty dollar),they get injured and spend their last moments suffering and more than ever needing the love and comfort of the pet parent.this business is not about the comfort or safety of the animals. I know because I worked for Petsmart in Dublin California, for about 5 weeks in June 2008.
They take in as many animals as they can rush them through the bath and groom as fast as they can so that they can make as much money as they can. I am an animal lover and donate much time to rescue and fund raising for certain groups. I resigned from Petsmart because I saw animals get hit because they would not move or get into the kennel, I saw them dragged and the day that I quit I saw an unattended dog jump out of the wash tub hanging from the leash restraint attached to the wall.
The bather just pulled the dog up by the leash and put it in the kennel while scolding the dog for jumping out. I was on the floor with another animal and could not get up in time to rescue. I secured the animal I was working with and went to check on the dog. It was just frozen with fear. I went to report this to the Assistant Manager, and I shared what abuse I had witnessed in the past 2 weeks. I told her I was quitting because I could not stand to see this.
Places like this take in too many animals and tie them up all over in a very small room where the stressed and afraid animals can and do attack other animals. The animals are left tied and unattended (even though the rules say this can't be done). Stressed and mistreated animals many times would throw up and have loose stools for hours, and the owners are not called or told about the events. Instead they say the animal did fine and they talk all sweet and cutesy to your animal while you are there.
When I left I informed all the animal groups I work with and continue to tell every animal owner that I meet. If they must take their animal to be groomed they need to find a caring compassionate person who does grooming, not a company
that's just trying to make lots of money.
Remember too that the worst time for grooming is during holidays when many people want the animal all cleaned up and pretty. These places don't have occupancy requirements so they just keep taking in more animals and they tie them all over. It is very unsafe. Please use this tragedy to do something good for your loved one and all other animals
so that they will not suffer the same fate.
A couple years ago, I wrote a book about my life. I still have a few paw-tographed copies available. In an effort to raise money for the Chicago ANTI-CRUELTY SOCIETY, for every $10 donation made here, I will send out a free copy of my book ENTER BARKING!
5 comments:
Why doesn't someone take at least cellphone pictures or video and get them on you tube or local news? This might cause Petsmart to take a look at themselves more closely when the bad stuff hits the public eye???
Cool post, i enjoyed reading it!
I used to work for petco very similar situation, and I do not agree with the actions of the groomers but I do know that at least with petco the groomers have alot of pressure put on them to take in as many dogs as possible I had even been in situations where I was left working from 8am to 9 at night without a break because the managers insisted that I take more dogs than I could handle because they want to look good to corporate with Petco it is like a competition between all the Petco's in the area to see whho does the most sales, grooming, extra services, etc. and this is one of the many reasons why I quit working for Petco and promised myself that no matter how desperately I need the money to pay my bills and everything else I will never work for a big corporation like Petco or Petsmart ever again
Nothing like this ever happens at the PetSmart grooming salon I work for. We are VERY strict about safety. It's an immediate termination if a manager even HEARS about someone leaving a dog in a tub, on a table, or not reporting an injury that is more than a quicked nail. At least for us, if a dog is showing that he or she is stressed in any way, we take them to a vet to get checked. We love the dogs we groom. I take less dogs every day to make sure I'm being safe and doing everything the right way to avoid injury.
Although I do hate PetSmart. But not because of the safety policies. It's one of the things that sets them apart from the crappy mom-n-pop shops that use HEATED dryers on dogs that can't even have dryers to begin with. Or muzzle dogs that can't be muzzled. THEY are the ones that take in too many dogs to make more money. Not PetSmart.
I worked for PetSmart for over 6 years. I quit a year and a half ago because I cannot work for a company such as theirs any longer. I do not agree with the principles that they have set for themselves and the company in the last 5 years. If you think that it is just the animals they do not care about then remember this, they care even less about their employees. Oh, they have a survey they conduct every year where you get to say some of what you think, but little, if any of it, is heeded. Their goal is now to make money. To sell worthless training classes, to make money, to sell grooming services, and...to make money. I happened to see documents, (these were real!), stating how many dogs groomers are expected to do in an 8 hour shift. Each groomer is expected to groom up to 11 dogs or more. If they do not meet this quota, they are hauled into the office and questioned why they are not grooming enough, and what are their plans to do more? Mind you now, this is 11 dogs to bathe, dry and groom in 8 hours, with a half hour lunch break, and two 15 minute breaks which are required by law, and to cover their own butts, they expect you to take them. So, this is 7 hours grooming time. I ask you this then, HOW can any groomer SAFELY do this many dogs in this type of time frame? The pressure is on these people to sell, sell, sell. Not only grooming, but overpriced services like shampoo, tooth brushing, clogne, and other worthless crap you don't need or want. In the store I worked in, they automatically tacked this on to your bill without asking, all so they could meet the quota that corporate expected, so they did not get yelled at for failing to meet it!
At the end of every day, if a groomer does not meet his quota, he, or she, has to fill out a report stating how they are going to meet their requirements for the nest day, and the rest of the week. Still think they care most about your pet??
The mission of this company USED to be about people and pets. However I watched this focus completetly change over the years. If you knew what it is like to work for this company, and what really goes on behind the scenes, you would not shop there.
I will say though that in the store I worked at, the small animals and fish department was very well maintained, and high levels of quality were a requirement. That was due to the knowledge of the employees and manager of that department. However, now, with a new store director who is more concerned about climbing the corporate ladder, than providing a good working enviornment, I believe the whole store is failing dreadfully in employee morale. This also seems to be the new way to run the company as a whole, since this was not the only store where this type of thing goes on.
Two years before I quit, a statement was made to me, by someone rather high up in the company, who should not have said to me probably. "The time is now to get out of PetSmart. Changes are in the wind, and it is not going to be a good place for any one to work any longer. Don't believe me? Give it two years!"
He was right. I watched store directors quit, district managers quit, and others who truly cared about the employees were fired, and replaced with what they now have. These people let you know, you are expendable, plain and blunt.
This is not a good place to work, it's not a good place to shop, and certainly, NOT a good place to take your pet for grooming! Since I quit, I have never looked back, and I have never returned with my pets for any services they have to offer!
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