Tragically, there has been several dog deaths, and injury at the "Big Box" store grooming departments at PetSmart. As was reported, in New Jersey as well as another incident in Pennsylvania three dogs are now dead along with another who suffered back injuries. At the Flemington, New Jersey store alone the NY Post reported An investigation by the outlet found that over an eight-day period between Dec. 22 and 29, at least two dogs died and a third suffered a back injury at the store. Moreover, one of these casualties was there just ONE-HOUR before he ended up dead. At the Dickson City, Pennsylvania PetSmart, a Bichon Frise was killed by a so-labeled Pit Bull. These are incidents that we know of which have been reported to the media. Were there other previous incidents that were not reported to the media by inconsolable pet owners perhaps because they felt guilty and blamed themselves for putting their dog in that position or others who could not bring themselves to talk about it?  

It is tragic that these incidents have occurred and that the families are heartbroken, as I would be devastated likewise.

Everyone listen, the reality is that nearly all of these PetSmart employees are NOT highly experienced, qualified animal handlers and groomers. Many are merely part-time employees paid an average of $9.97 per hour with an average annual salary of nearly $24,000!! The company website brags that they will have groomed 13 million pets in 2017 and boasts that 2500 pet stylists graduate from their Grooming Academy annually. An Academy, from what I have been able to discover according to online forums and students who have been through the program, where "stylists" are trained at a store location by a Salon Supervisor instructing not just supposedly ten or more students primarily learning "shave downs" mostly but simultaneously managing their current staff. This is not what I would consider comprehensive tutelage. Any Reader can go online and browse the real-time experiences of students who signed up for the company's so-called training. Yes, I am sure some talented, caring individuals pursuing a career in grooming had attended the PetSmart "get-em in and get-em out" program" and who went on to have a dedicated career with a loyal clientele outside the big box store. That, however, might be a significantly small minority. Qualified, caring, talented groomers more often have been trained at the preeminent grooming institutes such as The Nash Academy.

If a pet owner is going to consider bringing their beloved companion to a groomer at ANY facility, then do your homework FIRST. I do not care if it is a groomer working out of their basement, a salon or at box stores like PetSmart or PetCo. Investigate! Check online or social media to see if there have been any horror stories or complaints lodged against the groomer(s). Just asking your friends for a reference is NOT good enough simply because they may not YET have had a problem or a bad experience, or if they were even able to recognize abuse. Look around in the shop -- are there numerous dogs waiting to be groomed with only a minimum staff. If so, that is a red flag as the limited staff will not have proper time to give to each dog. Talk to the groomer and/or salon manager first before booking your best friend for an appointment and ask to see their educational qualifications as to where they were trained, make a note of it, leave and then perform your diligence. Look up the training facility and check out what information and feedback there is about it as well as the groomer online BEFORE you schedule any appointment for your dog! You may be very surprised or stunned at the information you find. Note that many states have license requirements which vary for groomers but understand that several states such as New York DOES NOT require a groomer to be licensed. So, any Tom, Dick, or Sally can claim they are a groomer, with barely any experience whatsoever and set up shop with the great potential for injuries, animal abuse and even death to occur.

Incidentally, several years ago I had an out-of-town Irish Wolfhound owner visit us at our home with her Wolfhound. As soon as I laid my eyes on this wolfhound, I became alarmed. Despite having regular appointments at a groomer (the wolfhound was just "groomed" or shall we just say bathed before arriving); the hound's ears had obviously not been cleaned out as they were filled with black wax and debris, as well as his toenails were long and nearly curling over. Let us set aside the fact that the owner bears the brunt of responsibility for these conditions; what so-called groomer would allow a client to leave their shop without tending to the basics grooming tenets? Suffice to say that the owner agreed NEVER to patronize that so-called groomer again.

I know the grooming industry very well as I trained at the Nash Academy's New Jersey location on or around 1989, in courses that took many, many months before we were qualified to graduate. We were trained in every aspect of the industry with a rigorous curriculum and the principles of dog grooming aesthetics. We were required to learn the basics of every AKC breed's background and honor that breed with its' conformation show trim -- NOT "shave downs." We specialized in all aspects of the aesthetics of grooming. Scissoring is an art that only a small number of groomer artists master and it was one of my specialties. It was an excellent school and educational experience with practically every type of breed to work on in our repeat clientele list. I took that training and opened a successful grooming salon which I eventually sold.

My training thoroughly and thoughtfully educated me on how to handle difficult dogs, besides other fundamentals. Rules such as NEVER leave a dog on the grooming table, not even to quickly turn around to grab something unless you always have one hand on the dog for control otherwise a dog can and will jump causing serious injuries. Alternatively, if they are in a grooming noose, they may choke or injure their trachea. Another essential safety policy was never to leave dogs unattended in a cage with a dryer blowing extreme heat on them which can and will induce heat stroke and likely death, especially for brachiocephalic breeds. These are just two primary rules that are broken DAILY in every dog grooming facility in America today.

I do not know as to the exact cause of death of those two unfortunate dogs nor the one that suffered a back injury at the PetSmart in Flemington, New Jersey, but I certainly have my highly considered opinion as to what may have happened to all three of them.

What is most intolerable is the company's statement in which it is clear that PetSmart's ultimate outcome is not to admit fault or liability. Never mind that one of the deceased dogs was dropped off and left at a veterinary office by an employee of PetSmart.

The summary of this matter is people MUST investigate a groomer's credentials as I discussed above or consider taking the time to bathe your beloved companion yourself. Learn how to do it properly, especially making absolutely certain all shampoo is completely washed out, and try it out. It is not difficult to do; you can purchase the canine shampoo, and dry your pet with your very own hairdryer. Make it a standing policy to brush those dogs with high coat maintenance on a daily or weekly schedule so as not to allow mats and tangles to occur. As for the details such as nails and ears, if you cannot do these yourself then make an appointment with your veterinarian to clip nails and clean ears on a routine basis. Take great care and try to choose a groomer who will allow you to wait in a lounge area that will enable you to see (at a distance of course) your dog being bathed and dried. Frankly, that is the only acceptable way that I feel most people should ever consider using a facility. Lastly, giant breed Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhounds as well as your other unique sighthound temperament breeds are NOT candidates for grooming salons!