On the East Coast this week, a dog owner is heartbroken after
her 3-pound Yorkshire terrier hung itself on a
leash after a "negligent" groomer left it alone to soak in a bathtub.
Groomingdales owner Lisa Boughton said her 21-year-old
assistant placed the terrier into a
special bathtub to soak in shampoo. The assistant, she said,
left the dog alone for a few minutes. She returned to find
the terrier strangled by the leash meant to secure it from
running away. The dog appeared to have leapt
from the tub, Boughton said.
Boughton said she believes the death won't hurt her business.
Firing her assistant, she said, "wouldn't accomplish anything
for me" because she needs the extra help.
"My customers will follow me anywhere ...
we're very sought after," said Boughton.
- That's not a very good attitude, I don't think!
I would guess that the accident will in fact hurt her business!
I know the owner. She is devastated by the loss of her little Scrappy.
ReplyDeleteShe wants to find a way to regulate and require manitory licensing for groomers.
She also has hired an attorney to help bring justice and awareness of what can happen when you pet is in the wrong hands.
I certainly wouldn't use her services if I lived there. However, I think even licensing might not have stopped this situation. There is all kinds of rules and regulations and education with degrees reguarding child care and even then children die in some situations with all of these in effect. Simply, the dog should not have been left alone, I don't care how much "soaking" it needed. For me, a dog is a child and cannot forsee the dangers of most situations a human may put them in.
ReplyDeleteI am a groomer myself. I agree that this is not professional attitude from the shop owner, it sounds like major snobbery. However, I do assume that she and the assistant are devastated about it themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't the first time I've heard of thing sort of thing. Unfortunately accidents happen, whether its because of negligence or just unlucky chance.
what concerns me in particular is the comment above about requiring mandatory (manitory?) licensing for groomers. I actually wrote a whole long letter to a local politician who threatened to force groomers to get licensed after a similar incident some years ago (dog had heat stroke in cage dryer). Licensing groomers is absolutely pointless in prevention of accidents like this. I went to grooming school and am certified. My boss learned to groom on her own and is not certified. And I can guarantee that i was never taught more about safety than she was. In grooming school i was taught what patterns go on what terriers and how to hold a scissor - essentially the same things that many people pick up just by working in a grooming shop. Going to school does not teach one common sense (ie don't walk away from a dog in a bathtub or leave the cage dryer on 'high' heat). Besides, the assitant (meaning "bather") left the dog in the tub, not the groomer herself, so whether the groomer is certified or not doesn't really mean anything in this particular case either. Often bathers are kids that are in or just out of high school.
Sorry for the rant, just wanted to get that out there. I am absolutely sympathetic to the dog and the owners. However, people tend to dehumanize the groomers in cases like this, and it isn't really fair.
The Groomer Lisa, who ran Groomingdales, Now owns new Pet business in Somerville, MA "Dogma and Catma Too". I surely wouldnt trust this woman with any of my pets. I knew Scrappy, the yorkie that died and I am disgusted that this woman is still working with peoples pets!
ReplyDeleteBecause the groomer responded totally and completely heartlessly, she would never, ever see one of my furry little kids.
ReplyDeleteshe should be closed down i hope her business goes bust she should not be allowed to look at another dog never mind groom them pure NEGLECT hope u go out of business very very very fast girl
ReplyDeleteI hope the person who did this at least learned her lesson. I see this is an older story, and I myself do not know what the final happenings were. I don't own dogs, but cats, and they need just as much watch as our pups do. I love dogs myself (I'm a dog person, which cats) and I know how much care and responsibility must go into caring for them (my best friend owns 2, one young, one older) It was terribly wrong for the groomer, if she was certified or not, to leave the dog unattended. A licence, as someone already said, does not give one common sense.
ReplyDeleteLike many have stated, common sense cannot be taught. Accidents happen and humans make mistakes but, I think most of us are flabbergasted at the total disregard for the feelings of the lose of the customers baby, by the business owner. Animals are not complicated. When they love you it is unconditional and so consequently their absence in a family with or without children is greatly missed. I think we would be more understanding of the groomer if she hadn't boasted about future business and forgetting that her customers are intrusting her with a family member that is precious and priceless to them.
ReplyDelete