(04-07-2018, 04:02 PM)Catherine Wrote: Are groomers really that careless with the animals they look after?
The short answer is yes - some of them. There are too many cases of dogs dying at grooming sessions. Pet Smart seems to have by far the most cases, but there are others elsewhere, too.
Such workers are not paid very much, which of course absolutely does not excuse cruelty or gross negligence but does mean that the sort of people going into such employment tend to be of poor calibre, just looking for any sort of work and not necessarily dedicated to animal welfare. Such people can be trained - as Pet Smart does - but that does not mean that they will follow the rules once trained.
I have never taken Forgy for a hair cut or nail trimming, because he is so sensitive to his tail, back and paws being touched. We distract him by giving tiny treats whilst we are giving him a hair cut. But I can well imagine that even a patient groomer would have great difficulty dealing with him when he is being touched on the tail or back (I suspect that he was previously ill-treated by a young family, with children pulling his tail). His paws are sensitive, because of a previous allergy he had and he gets very anxious when they are touched.
So he gets stressed enough when we cut his hair or nails; with a stranger, I would imagine that the stress would be tremendous. It is perfectly possible that a few dogs could die from extreme stress whilst being groomed. So really the safest thing to do is to do any grooming oneself, if possible.
With Puce, her hair stayed about the same length and did not mat together. Regular brushing was enough. But Forgy's hair is naturally curly (poodle cross) and gets matted very easily. So some home grooming is essential.
We prefer to avoid the risk of taking him to a stranger. In general, dog parlours are to be avoided.
Blessings to the souls of the dogs who have passed over in such places.
