groomers, are they at fault if a dog is injured in their care? - Page 1

i have a facebook friend who owns a great pyrenees. she recently wrote that she took him to a local dog groomer and paid $150 to get him brushed and bathed. (wow). i commented that i would have done it for half that (couldn't be worse than my 3 gsd's). she liked that comment. later she pm'ed me saying that they told her he might be sore from being bathed. she said he was having trouble walking, vomited 3 times, peed in the house, which he does not usually do, and was growling at her kids, which he never did. she said the dog is her husband's baby and her husband insisted he go to the emergency vet. before they went to the emergency vet, the groomer called to tell her that the dog had fallen out of the tub after the bath. $750 later, they had meds for vomiting and soreness and the vet confirmed he was probably sore from falling. the groomer called them several times, first saying that they might be able to pay part of the bill with the groomer's insurance, then that the insurance would not cover it since the dog jumped from the tub, so that the groomer wasn't at fault. my friend told me she was really not a big fan of the dog, but since he has been in pain, she feels really bad for him, and wishes she never did take him to the groomer. she has been asking advice on facebook. i don't know the groomer's side, just hers, and none of us were actually there to see it. do you think the groomer should have to pay their vet bill?

"i commented that i would have done it for half that (couldn't be worse than my 3 gsd's)"

Actually, $150 for grooming a Great Pyrenees is a reasonable cost and should not be compared to a GSD.

Did your FB friend mention how old the dog was, and how often it is regularly groomed?

These breeds should be groomed every 4-6 weeks to keep the coat free of mats, was this dog matted?

Was it the dogs First time at a grooming salon?
 
Did  they did take the time to speak with the groomer and find out what their qualifications were before leaving "their baby" in the groomers care?

A lot more questions than answers here.....

Having said all that, the groomers insurance should cover it, all Professional Groomers/Pet Stylist have insurance to cover such things.


Kim

from what i have read, it was one person bathing the dog, and they undid one of two restraints that kept the dog in the tub, and he jumped out before they got the other one undone. i believe he is around 2 years old. i work on my own dogs as needed, so figured 3 sixty pound dogs altogether would be about the same as a 150 pound dog....and i only commented that as she was complaining about the price. i used to clip my poodle Fluffy by myself when i had her, after someone showed me how, and have worked on a friend's small poodle for exactly half what a professional groomer charged her, and she was very pleased with the results....made me a little extra money and saved her some. i am not a pro nor do i claim to be, but i love working on dogs, and most people like saving money. anyway, her husband only bathed and brushed the dog twice a year and had never been to a groomer before. it seemed to be her idea for the dog to go there, she mentioned that he questioned the price, but it saved her sanity to have the dog go there and have someone else work on him. the groomer's insurance refuses to cover it because the groomer told them the dog jumped down even though they told the owner that the dog fell.

Absolutely the groomers are at fault, for reasons stated above.

When I was a kid, my dad had a poodle who he would take to get groomed. Well the groomer wound up clipping her eye one time, and never said anything. About a week and a half later, she let out a yelp, bent over, and plop! Out comes her eyeball! Guess what groomer had disappeared by that point.

wow, the eye fell out?! that must have been a pretty deep cut! this particular groomer has no bad reviews online that i could find, i guess my friend may have been thinking it was a good place to go, as their facebook page has glowing reviews on it by satisfied customers.

- "her husband only bathed and brushed the dog twice a year and had never been to a groomer before".

LOL, I'm sure there are some Professional Groomers reading this and understand my comments.

Anyway.........her insurance company (if she has insurance, LOL) should take care of "their baby" who gets bathed & brushed twice a year!


Kim

Kim  - not a 'professional groomer' but I still really hear ya !
Absolutely right.

OP I would take that as a tip not to get involved in FB dramas. IMO This couple
clearly should not have dogs !   There is obviously wrong on both sides here.
eg  How did a big dog like that who jumped out of the tub come to FALL DOWN
anyway ?  That groomer never heard of floor level bathtubs ?  What, do they usually
do 'small' breeds only ?

As a retired groomer i have to comment.
First, The dog is two and this is his first groom? Bet he was a real charmer. Pry's are not usually friendly dogs to strangers.  Bet good money he was being a big pain in the ass.
2nd, They only have a massive, giant double coated dog groomed or brushed twice a year? Wow the smell alone, makes me gag from here. :p I have groomed a bunch of Pry's and they have a funky odor is not kept clean.
3 rd have you ever tried to stop a wet or soapy mastiff from jumping out of a tub? Now try stopping that mastiff by a small woman. Not gonna happen.
Hundmutter, every groom shop i've ever worked for had  raised tubs, and some places we bathed the mastiffs/danes on the floor or in a kennel run. But 99% of places use raised tubs because after 10 or 20 dogs your back would be killing you bathing that many big dogs bent over.
Should they offer to cover the coat of the dog injury? Yes, that's what insurance if for. Because dogs never do what you expect them to.
I've have dog dive off tables, shepherds leap out of tubs while still tethered to the wall. Flip out and blow a blood vessel in the eye because they freaked at the blow dryer.
I say the blame is 50% - 50%  Dog took a dive out of a tub, his fault. Groomer didn't report it right away to the owner and see the dog got treatment. their fault.
Course the owner is to blame also.
But that's all from me for now.
Fry

$150 for a pro groomer to groom a Pry that was probably disgusting and not used to be groomed...sheesh I'd call that a pretty decent deal!!  My friend just had her Pyr groomed and I think the dog was worked on for like five hours (and her dogs are clean house dogs).  I have a large mix that may be part Pyr and it actually takes me three days to groom him.  My hands and back get too sore to do it all at once and I don't have time since I'm not a groomer.  My dog is also very clean, house dog but he has a long coat in addition to an undercoat like a Pyr so he requires trimming and clipping as well, not just regular brushing.  Often I pay a local groomer to do the clipping and scissoring for me.