[Franny Glass]

I agree with Purplex.

Even with a very difficult dog, there is a way to SAFELY handle and restrain it, without causing injury to the dog or the groomer. In situations where there is no SAFE way, the dog should be sedated. Any groomer worth their salt will pony up and pay the vet bills for his or her own mistake.

I wouldn't call a lawyer at this point. Although what happened to your dog is terrible, it's far from the worst I've seen or heard off. I could tell you horror stories all day long. What counts is that your dog is fine now. And that the groomer should be willing to pay for his treatment. When I had just started to groom, a springer spaniel lunged at my face trying to bite me. I reacted too strongly, jumping up and knocking the table over, with the dog on it, the table landing on top of the dog. He ended up being fine, thankfully, but I paid for all his vet bills for being checked out and groomed him free of charge for a year. I've since gotten a more stable grooming table. And some nice basket muzzles.

As for using a noose, I don't know how people do it. I never learned with one, and I find them awkward and annoying, personally.

[beckyw]

I'm not planning to sue anyone, and although I do feel like I should get my money back (plus the vet costs), I'm more just angry that they hurt my dog. It's now been more than 2.5 days since we picked up Dexter, and he's still in bed all day, unable to be left alone for more than a few seconds for fear he will scratch his neck. He's on antibiotics and a steroid shot from the vet. Most upsetting to me, my normally high energy, cheerful dog, is completely lethargic and won't even respond to his name, interact with our other dog, or get off the sofa to eat a treat. The abrasion is a very large, very red, very bad looking wound (not a "red mark") that is only just beginning to look like it's scabbing over.

I don't know a lot about grooming, and I accept that Dexter may be very difficult to groom. I just don't think that allowing himself to hurt himself to this degree (and by the groomer's admission, the injury was probably a combination of the noose and their inattention to him after the groom) teaches him anything except to be terrified next time he goes to the groomer and will probably be much more difficult to groom. I do know something about training, and it seems like a better way to get a dog used to grooming is to give him treats until he relaxes around the clippers, not to continue clipping until he injures himself so badly that he's unable to enjoy life for the next 3+ days.

Honestly, I can't imagine ever taking my dog to another groomer again, unless possibly, I were allowed to watch the entire groom. I feel terrible that my shelter dog, who had God knows what happen to him before I got him, was subjected to another really traumatic experience at my behest.

[Twinney]

IMO if you take him back to the grooming salon you should demand they pay the vet bills, and demand you watch the groom. I'm sure that the groomer will behave more when you are watching them. That way, if you think they are scewing up at all, you can put them back on track. I can understand a red mark that just goes away right away, but if it's still here the groomer scewed up really bad.
If I were the manager of the place the dog was groomed my groomer would need one REALLY good excuse to keep from loosing his/her job for hurting the dog like that. Or they would have to be extremely new to the business.

[Purplex15]

Originally Posted by beckyw

I'm not planning to sue anyone, and although I do feel like I should get my money back (plus the vet costs), I'm more just angry that they hurt my dog. It's now been more than 2.5 days since we picked up Dexter, and he's still in bed all day, unable to be left alone for more than a few seconds for fear he will scratch his neck. He's on antibiotics and a steroid shot from the vet. Most upsetting to me, my normally high energy, cheerful dog, is completely lethargic and won't even respond to his name, interact with our other dog, or get off the sofa to eat a treat. The abrasion is a very large, very red, very bad looking wound (not a "red mark") that is only just beginning to look like it's scabbing over.

I don't know a lot about grooming, and I accept that Dexter may be very difficult to groom. I just don't think that allowing himself to hurt himself to this degree (and by the groomer's admission, the injury was probably a combination of the noose and their inattention to him after the groom) teaches him anything except to be terrified next time he goes to the groomer and will probably be much more difficult to groom. I do know something about training, and it seems like a better way to get a dog used to grooming is to give him treats until he relaxes around the clippers, not to continue clipping until he injures himself so badly that he's unable to enjoy life for the next 3+ days.

Honestly, I can't imagine ever taking my dog to another groomer again, unless possibly, I were allowed to watch the entire groom. I feel terrible that my shelter dog, who had God knows what happen to him before I got him, was subjected to another really traumatic experience at my behest.

well, first off he is probably pretty lethargic from the medication he is on. but i have a feeling after reading this post that he is also picking up a lot of these feelings from you. you are making it a big deal, so your dog is feeding off it. its like when your baby falls down, if you rush over and make a big deal, the kid starts crying, but if you just say "you ok kid" they smile and keep playing. if you keep making this a big deal in your head, then your dog will never get over this. like i said before i understand your angry, and i would be too, but at this point i think you are just making too big of a deal. and i love the "red mark" quotes. i wasnt saying your dog had a red mark, im saying if a dog hangs for only a few seconds they get a red mark that goes away. i said this to tell you that indeed the groomer was careless, and had to have let the dog hang for a long time in order for the mark, or wound if it makes you feel better, to be so bad. i tried to convince you to be more understanding, but i guess you dont want to understand, you just want to be angry.

and we yet again have another example of a dog owner swearing off groomers b/c ONE groomer screwed up. if your auto mechanic screwed up your car, would you refuse to ever use a mechanic again, or would you learn from your mistake of not using a good person for the job, do more research next time, and get a new mechanic? that would be ridiculous, and so is your feeling about never using a groomer again. everyone already told you the groomer screwed up. there is no reason to stop grooming a dog b/c he is hainging. what you do is figure out a way to groom the dog without him hanging, b/c there is always a way. your right, you dont know much about grooming, but you also dont know much about training. if all a dog is doing is misbehaving, then when are we suppossed to give them a treat? the best thing we can do is be patient and groom the dog when it is safe to do so. if a groomer cant figure out a way to groom a dog so that he isnt hanging, then they should go through training again. you need to realize that not all groomers are this inexperianced. but again, you need to understand this a little more so you can get over it. you need to take some responsibility for what happened, learn, and move on. never taking your dog to another groomer will def. make his problem worse. if he was bad for the groomers, then he will probably be bad for you.

also, if you do find a groomer, you better expect a lot of ground rules if you expect to stay and watch, ie not talking to your dog, not touching your dog, no talking to the groomer, no loud noises and kissing sounds, and sometimes, you cant be where the dog can see you.

[Graco22]

I agree with Perplex that at this point, you may be exacerbating the problem by fussing over the little guy. Dogs feed off their owners SO much, and I don't think everyone realizes that. Its like when a dog needs to be shaved because of matting..if everyone in the family acts like its horrible, ugly, poor thing, etc..yes, the dog will act like something is wrong. If you act like its the prettiest cut ever, that same dog will be just happy as can be. They feed off our emotions. What happened to your dog should never have happened. But it did, and you need to move past that, and help the dog move past it too. I agree, the meds are probably having an effect on his energy level too. I personally, don't understand really how he got the red mark. I don't see how a grooming loop ( I HATE the word NOOSE, and really think us groomers need to call it a loop, etc. instead...its a horrible word, and it is NOT a noose) caused that? Maybe he was irritated from the clippers in his throat area, and then scratched/dug at it while waiting to be picked up? I dont' know..but its under his chin? A grooming loop does not go under the chin? Regardless.

As to never using a groomer again, that is unfortunately what many people do/say after a bad experience. If you went to a bad doctor, would you find a new doctor, or never go again? Vet? Same thing? Pet owners need to do some RESEARCH before dropping off their pets. The grooming industry is COMPLETELY unregulated! There is NO licensing, no required schooling, no nothing. ANYONE can call themselves a groomer if they have a clipper and a blade or two. They can open a salon, hang a sign out front and start taking clients. That is scary! Please, owners, do some research. Ask your neighbors, friends, relatives where they take their dogs, if they are happy, etc. Ask the groomer questions about their job. How long they have been grooming, do they go to continueing education seminars, (these are ALL over the country and IMO there is no excuse why a groomer can't/won't go to at least one a year.)ask to see the facility. Talk to them. If you don't like their answers, then go find another grooming salon. Please don't just call and ask how much and can you do it today.