Petco sued for cutting dog's ear off, gluing it back on - Page 2

God doesn't groom dogs and Groomers are not god! Half the injuries would not happen if dogs would be properly socialised, taken to the groomer more often and taken care of at home by their owners. You guy's have no idea in what bad shape some dogs come in for grooming. Some are so badly matted and biters, that they have to be send to the Vet to be shaved down under sedation to prevent injury from grooming. After all people forget that groomers working on moving and sometimes unpredictable targets and not on a machine. I don't know of any groomerwho cuts a dog on purpose and doesent feel bad afterwards.

Ditto Firefly, I bet that little dog is a tazmanian devil on the table. I use to do a lot of "BAD DOG" grooming. I was the person other shops sent dogs they could not touch. I did a lot of sedation grooming because i worked for a vet. So i could safely get the demon sedated, groomed, bathed and blow dried in about 30 to 40 minutes under sedation and everyone including the dog left in one piece. But due to the cost of blood work (average $100.00) sedation by weight, (Average $40.00) and the regular price of the groom (depending on breed and condition) most of my grooms were about $200 for a really bad pet. And so people put off having them groomed even longer then normal.
Some bad dog i could work with and get groomed because i was actually meaner then the dog. >:D
Some dogs simply needed someone to teach them some basic table manners. And a few were so dangerous that they should have been put to sleep not groomed. As they were truely vicious animals. Don't get me started on cats.....................
Fry

I agree that groomers get blamed for quite a bit.  A good friend of mine was a groomer until migraines got in the way of consistent working schedule and had video cameras in her business to avoid the common complaints of "the groomer did it" and "my dog would never misbehave at a groomers".  She used to tell me stories of terror dogs that the clueless owners believed were just little angels.  I have worked with people in obedience class that were the main reason the dog had issues, but just like there are poor trainers, there are poor groomers.

As for my mom's Shih Tzu, Odie is well cared for. brushed regularly, and my mom has used an old seam ripper (for sewing) to gently get mats out when he does mat which happened when mom was very sick a couple of times.  The first groomer was DRUNK and boy did he smell of booze when we picked Odie up, but not when we dropped him off, the cuts were because the groomer (and I use the term loosely here) could barely see straight.  Odie needed emergency vet care for the bleeding on his penis cut and the guy tried to super glue it closed.  He is no longer in business, we saw to that.  The 2nd groomer did rip the hair out, it was by his rear leg and this was according to the vet and was cited for unsanitary conditions after Odie's vet alerted the appropriate state agency due to Odie being the 4th dog from there with some kind of infection.  The 3rd groomer told my mom she "expressed his anal glands" and Odie had never had this done before, my mom had asked her like the previous groomers not to do so (and yes, some groomers do express).  Odie was in pain and it required medical care.  He never had issues with his anal glands as so many of his breed can have and mom figured if it isn't a problem then leave it alone.  Odie's current groomer is a wonderful groomer and the one she lost due to injury was a great groomer as well.  Odie always came back looking good and was happy.  Thanks to the former groomer (one who no longer grooms due to injury) who spent lots of time and patiently worked with Odie to get him over his terror of grooming, he now loves to be fussed over and will sit/stand still for grooming although he still has issues with face and belly trimming but it consists of whining but little else.  I do believe the groomer who worked so patiently with Odie made all the difference in the world.

anyone who grooms cats deserves a medal of courage

Thanks ILGSD, Normally i'd just get scratched, bit or suffer allergics cause i'm allergic to cats.
But i will say i had a FEW really nice cats that i could do anything with. Some even liked the bath. Oo
I'm retired from grooming now and have gone back to be a graphic artist. Mice bite less :D

Cat groomers should be worshiped for bravery!  I stopped grooming after a bout with cat scratch fever.  Yikes! 

Mindhunt, What kind of Groomers did you guys go to?  What certifications did they hold?  I'm not trying to pick on you asking that just curious.  We have alot of internet certified groomers here in Canada.  I still havent figured out how one can get a certification without hands on training. There are LOTS of bad groomers out there.  In most cases they are not certified.  ( so in my mind they are not groomers, anyone who picks up a clipper is not a groomer) Heck I would be happy if groomers even just apprenticed for a while, but more and more people are picking up clippers and hanging out a shingle.  Scary.


I express anal glands on all dogs that come in too, my point was groomers do not cause "anal impaction".  Can a groomer injure a dog expressing anals "yup" but they can not cause "anal impaction".  I have no doubt your pup was injured.

That is probably the most frustrating thing for people.  When you finally do get a groomer you like they are getting older or moving on to new careers.  The industry is not regulated at all , you are correct.  There are only 2 recognized grooming certifications at the moment .  The most recognized is IPG or International Professional Groomers Association and The international Society of Canine Cosmetology.  These are the only two recognized grooming bodies there are.  I know that there is an association starting up in Canada.  It is headed by some great groomers who are IPG Master Groomers.  They will have the same standards as IPG I believe.