ComplaintsforPuptown Girl Grooming

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 4/8/22 I took my 11mos old bernedoodle puppy to be groomed. Upon entering the facility it was immediately chaotic. I waited quite some time to even be acknowledged. When the groomer who would care for my dog came out she barely introduced herself & started right off the bat with insisting the dog needed to be shaved. She began asking me to sign a waiver so they could shave her ears. I asked for her to save her hair. She starts insisting to me that the dog has too many matted spots. There were 2 small matted spots behind the ears, & 2 under the rear legs. The rest of the body had been groomed days prior. She was informed of our grooming schedule. Then as if I were lying she demonstrated the way to brush, & showed the kind of brush to use. Both things that were not the issue, we live in the *****, shes a **** ***** rolls in leaves and all sorts of things, which mats the fur. Which was the whole reason to bring her to be groomed. Home grooming with a disability & a dog in training is difficult. Rather than being professional about the situation, my dog was cut in numerous places, was returned terrified, they insisted on taking my payment before even bringing my dog to me to see if theyd done what I was paying for. They did not bathe her she still had hair (her own and other dogs) all over her. She was trembling in fear for hours. She has ****** & cuts & scabs all over where they didnt use guards on the clippers. The shave they gave her is long in some spots and bare in others. It was so inconsistent that throughout her body it looked as though my all black dog was brindled. She is now terrified to be with me in the bathroom, which is embarrassing to share. However, I need her with me due to risk of falling or passing out. She now is terrified of being near the shower. Her coat may never come back in the same because they shaved her so close. Not to mention the weather being cold still. What these women did to my dog was animal abuse, unethical, and malicious.

  

  Business response

  04/16/2022

  We are sorry you are upset with your experience at Puptown Girl. Unfortunately when working with animals it is always uncertain on how busy it may be when you drop off first thing in the morning. We do our best to get to everyone as soon as possible. I do have Ebonys whole grooming and bathing experience on video in which you are more than welcome to watch for a piece of mind that she was never abused or harmed in our care.
  
  
  We as groomers see many clients come in and not realize they arent using the proper tools, brushing as much as they should, or brushing properly to get all the mats and tangles out. Its common we see the top of the coat brushed but near the skin has been matting. We as groomers try to educate clients so they can leave their pet as fluffy as possible.  
  
  
  Due to the extreme matting your pet had, the only humane option was to shave her down. Her whole body except her tail was one connecting mat. We cannot use guards on a pet whose coat is so matted you cant get a regular comb through. For safety reasons we had to use our shortest blade just to cut through the matting. 
  
  
  Dogs can get open sores under matting due to the hair pulling tighter and tighter. The skin can't breathe and it causes scabs, bruises, and red marks. This is why we had you sign a matted pet release which informs clients of this. You may also see her acting different because it can feel weird having the air hit their skin again. This is common when dogs have to get shaved down because of matting. 
  
  
  The hair will grow back. It may be different since her adult coat will be growing in and she no longer has the puppy hair. 
  
  
  Again, I am sorry you were not happy with our services, but we had to do what was safe and humane for your pet. 

  Customer response

  04/18/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  My dog has suffered unnecessarily at the hands of this groomer. This was not from a case of severe matting, as the dog is appropriatey groomed at home. As stated before she is brushed 4xs a week. They shaved the tips of all of her ******* off, she has lacerations all over her, and huge scabs on her face head an ears. She is going to likely have scarring from the wounds caused by the grooming. She has markings on her face, ears, and head; where clippers caused bleeding. My dog has been into a vet, who determined that the groomers negligence cause a severe infection. They believe it was due to equipment not being properly cleaned and the improper use of clippers. They provided antibiotics due to the dog having a low grade fever. She is still suffering from the abuse endured. She has been lethargic and shaking since the visit. She is also now terrified of being brushed, which she loved before the grooming visit. She sits in my lap and wants tight pressure, and she has separation anxiety now from this experience. I have been providing prescribe antibiotics to her and there is no improvement. She will need to return to the vet today due to lack of improvement. The condition of the grooming salon when I returned to pick her up was unacceptable. They had hair all over the floors and tables, they didnt even seem to have cleaned up between pets. Rather than overbooking themselves, and being aggressive with their grooming because they did not have the time to properly groom the animals theyd scheduled, they should have rescheduled some visits. I will be filing a police report and pressing charges. I would also like the grooming video released. The video of the grooming will serve as evidence for the deplorable state of the grooming area, which likely caused the infection she is suffering from. 
  

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