Should I be upset?

[Italiahaircolor]

Today I took my 5 year old Chihuahua Chupacabra to the groomer.

He''s been to this shop many times over the last 3 years and typically has the same pet-stylist work on him (an older lady who seems nice).

Last time he was there, one of the workers let it slip that they had had him out of the cage "playing" for a portion of his stay there without my permission, some children were at the shop and loved him. While I opted to let it slide because they do a lovely job on him, I was slightly bothered because of all the "what if''s" that play a factor in children playing with Chihuahuas.

But today, when my husband picked him from the groomer, he had a decent amount of vomit in his hair by his ear and around his mouth. He was extremely clingy and shaking (the shaking isn''t unusual, but the clinginess is.) Since he was home already, I couldn''t do anything aside from put him right into the tub.

I was heartbroken, and even cried...since obviously something happened to make him freak out. I am angry this wasn''t mentioned...I mean how could the groomer not notice vomit in the dogs hair???? My husband didn''t notice the vomit intially because Chup''s was taken from the groomer in a cage--it was raining here.

I''ve placed a call to the grooming salon, and they haven''t called me back. When they do, what should I do? Is there anything? Obviously I''m switching groomers...he will never return there....but what else?

TIA

 

[BeachRunner]

Your poor dog! I don''t understand why they would even attempt to return your dog after being groomed with his vomit on himself. I think this is an awful situation, and I''m sorry your dog had to go through whatever he did. And yes, I would be very upset with the groomer. I would ask why your dog came home dirtier than when he arrived.

I hope your dog is feeling better!

 

[movie zombie]

personally, i wouldn''t leave Chup anywhere to be groomed. he would be groomed in my presence just to make sure there were no incidents of "play" that i might not be made aware of.

mz

 

[KimberlyH]

Could the dog have vomited in transit?

I wouldn''t go back because I wouldn''t trust the groomers sice they admitted to you they allowed the dog out to play with children (it wouldn''t bother me if they were playing with the dog).

 

[Mara]

Are Chi's bad with kids?

Was it dog vomit or human vomit? I also am baffled how he left the groomer with vomit in the hair. Did your husband check him before he left? Typically when I pick up Portia at the groomers, they bring her out and I give her the once over to let them know if they need to do anything else (I am so not picky so I am like sure, whatever she looks fine, did you clean her anal gland? hahaa).

You know your dog best, but also I know our dog does not love the grooming experience, especially on days where there are a lot of crying, whining or barking dogs around her. I am sure it's not a very pleasurable experience for the dogs to be in a high-stress environment like that. Unfortunately we are horrible with scissors, and our groomers are some of the best around. So I just try to give her a few extra treats and hugs on the days when she seems a bit more frazzled than usual and chalk it up to a stressed day at the groomers. It's not an easy job. Thankfully dogs have short memories when confronted with treats.

Honestly, if you feel like it was a horrible experience and/or something went wrong, you may not trust them if they tell you nothing happened. What else can you really do but find a new groomer, one that comes highly recommended. Good luck.

 

[purrfectpear]

How do you "groom" a Chi?

I thought you just gave them a bath and clipped the nails?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 3/29/2009 1:33:45 AM
Author: purrfectpear
How do you ''groom'' a Chi?

I thought you just gave them a bath and clipped the nails?

That was my initial thought, but what if Chupacabra is a long hair Chi?

Either way, I agree that you should never taken him back there, and rip the manager a new one for not taking proper care of your baby. I''m pretty sure it''s a rule that the dogs should not be running amok during their stay at the groomer - who knows what he may have eaten when they weren''t looking?

 

[Deelight]

Yes I would be upset.

I have my cats shaved at our vet 2-3 times a year (we live in a hot, humid tropical climate and they love the no fur) the second last time I was in there one of the nurses handed me back my fatso kitty and I was ropeable. He had a mass of puffy foam comming out of his mouth and his wiskers were shaved on one side

. Through politley gritted teeth and fighting back tears I pointed this out to her and her only response was oh he is stressed she didn''t care and made no effort to comfort him or clean him up

.

I still do take him down to that vet for shaving but I have specified that nurse is NOT to touch or come anywhere near my kitties as I was not happy and told them why - the other vets however do a fantastic job and really take care of them.


Mara Someone correct me if I am wrong but I wouldn''t say Chi''s are bad with kids I think kids are bad with Chi''s because they are rough and don''t know any better they are so tiny and fragile. My sister has one and she is so tiny, delicate, small (my cats are bigger then she is) and has to wear a bell so we don''t accidently stand on her and know where she is at all times - definitly not a little kid dog cute as a button though.

 

[starsapphire]

Date: 3/29/2009 2:43:15 AM
Author: Deelight
Yes I would be upset.

I have my cats shaved at our vet 2-3 times a year (we live in a hot, humid tropical climate and they love the no fur) the second last time I was in there one of the nurses handed me back my fatso kitty and I was ropeable. He had a mass of puffy foam comming out of his mouth and his wiskers were shaved on one side

. Through politley gritted teeth and fighting back tears I pointed this out to her and her only response was oh he is stressed she didn''t care and made no effort to comfort him or clean him up

.

I still do take him down to that vet for shaving but I have specified that nurse is NOT to touch or come anywhere near my kitties as I was not happy and told them why - the other vets however do a fantastic job and really take care of them.


Mara Someone correct me if I am wrong but I wouldn''t say Chi''s are bad with kids I think kids are bad with Chi''s because they are rough and don''t know any better they are so tiny and fragile. My sister has one and she is so tiny, delicate, small (my cats are bigger then she is) and has to wear a bell so we don''t accidently stand on her and know where she is at all times - definitly not a little kid dog cute as a button though.

The cat''s whiskers were SHAVED off????!!!!!!!!! OMG, I would have been livid too.

 

[Mara]

Gotcha Deelight, that makes sense.

I almost think of groomers kind of like stylists or artists, who can be very tempermental at times. It's no excuse for bad behavior of course or not noticing if the pets are in distress.

Once we took P in and it was the end of the summer and quite warm around here. I had let her get too long so I asked them to take her very short. When I came to pick her up I did not even recognize her. They had almost shaved her down to her skin! That was def not what I meant, but I could see how they would think that since I did say it was ok to shave her but not BALD.

She looked SO pathetic to me, but she was wagging tail, happy as can be haha. I have to see if I have the pictures I took, because I was like this cannot be my dog. But it was. And the stylist, who is kind of a primadonna but excellent rep and the place does a lot of show dogs was like 'Did someone trim Portia's hair because it looked MANGLED around her mouth and chin'. And I was like 'Oh yeah my Mom gave her a trim since she was so long'. He looked SO irritated and sniffed on how bad it was. Of course I instructed my Mom to not touch her anymore, I don't want to bring home a shaved rat again!

It took her about 4 months to grow back...but the perk was that we saved on grooming bills. hehe.

Oh and Italia...I am dying that you named your dog Chupacabra!

 

[Deelight]

starsapphire I managed to get him home before I complelty broke down and bawled - I hate to see animals in distress especially my furbabies - after a big feed and cuddles though he felt much better..

Mara If you have photo's please post them - I love the look of shaved animals they just look so awwwwwwww stinkin cute.

 

[soocool]

I have taken my mini schnauzer to the same groomer for the past 2 years and about 2 months ago I noticed that one of the old groomers was gone and there was a new onein his place. After I brought my dog home I noticed the grooming wasn't as great as it has always been previously, but I just let it go. Later I noticed my dog kept scratching his ear and then I noticed that his ears were plucked and there was blood encrusted in the ear.Basically the ear was irritated, but not infected. But I specficaly requested NO PLUCKING - only trim the hairs in the ears, and the owner agreed with me said that she would only pluck upon request when I first started going to this groomer.

I then called and left a message and she never got back to me. But I did take my dog back to her last week and when I dropped him off, before I could say another word, she deeply apologized and said no ear plucking and explained the new person on staff did not realize that only requests for ear plucking was noted on the cards and later did not charged me for the grooming.

What I am getting at is, if you really like this groomer you need to talk with them in person to find out what happened and to make sure it doesn't happen again. I know it was tough finding a groomer I was happy with and I did not want to dismiss her after just one incident. If you don't get the apology or assurance that your requests will be followed then it is probably time to find one who will listen to your needs.

 

[ckrickett]

I would be very upset.
I''m super protcteive of my dog, and as nice and sweet as it sounds they have no right to let other people "play" with your dog.

 

[whitby_2773]

my husband and i have show dogs and, altho they hate *going* to the groomer, they''re always happy as larry when they leave. i cant imagine one of them vomiting on the way home - unless they had been so completely traumatized while at the groomer''s that they vomited when their body started to relax on the drive away. if that''s *not* the case - which looks very bad for the groomer anyway - your little boy must have vomited there. either way, the only explanation is that he had a traumatic experience at the groomer.

grooming a small, short haired dog is not difficult; since he''s had such a lousy experience i''d be doing him myself from now on. those nail grinders are simple to use and are much safer in my opinion that clippers. over-clipping is a very common problem, and one of the most common reasons dogs hate going to the groomer; their nails are cut too short, cutting off the top of the toe under the nail. small dogs - especially if wriggly - can be very difficult; i wonder if a number of your dog''s toes were cut? this is very painful for a dog and very common in groomings. our groomer is FABULOUS but we''ve still bought a grinder to do our dogs'' nails ourselves. shampooing a dog of this size is a 5 minute job. his coat doesnt require conditioning and can be followed by a quick towel dry (our setters take about 20 mins a piece under a hair dryer!)

i really wouldn''t be putting your little boy into a situation which, regardless of which groomer he''s going to, is going to trigger all the same sorts of panic-filled memories. in the time it takes you to drive to your groomer and back, you could do him yourself.

save your money and spare your pup.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Thank you everyone for your kind support and stories. I''ve calmed down over the past day, but I still hurts my heart to know that he was in that situation.

First of all, it does bother me that he was played with before. Not because I''m over protective, we play with Chups all the time...but because there are so many variables that can play a factor? What if another dog got to him? What if he got stepped on or squeezed to hard? Chups is wonderful with children, and that concern never even crossed my mind...he''s very laid back and loves to sunbathe and be snuggled. However, I let it slide at the time and sincerely regret that decision now. Shame on me.

Secondly, Chups is groomed because he is a double coated short hair and is shaved down. He goes once a month and has been going since I rescued him 3 years ago. Which means, he''s been there 36 times and seen the same groomer each and every time. My husband doesn''t "check" him because his results are perdictable. My husband feels awful for not checking, but that''s never been part of our routine...

Lastly, the vomit was dried on--caked, if you will. It wasn''t fresh...and it took a scrubbing to get off his head. It was his vomit because it was dried around his mouth as well.

The groomer has not returned my phone call at this point and I will continue to wait because I am anticipating this conversation.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I wouldn''t call, I would go in in person and give him a piece of my mind. WTH were they thinking letting your dog out to play with children in the shop? That is SO irresponsible. And then to not notify you when something clearly happened is unacceptable as well. And they''re groomers! They couldn''t have wiped the vomit off your dog before sending him home?!?!

 

[tlh]

I''d also put in a complaint w/ the company and maybe the BBB if they do not respond. It is helpful for anyone else that may want to take their dogs there to understand that they could be neglecting the dogs and failing to exercise duty of care.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 3/30/2009 10:18:06 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I wouldn''t call, I would go in in person and give him a piece of my mind. WTH were they thinking letting your dog out to play with children in the shop? That is SO irresponsible. And then to not notify you when something clearly happened is unacceptable as well. And they''re groomers! They couldn''t have wiped the vomit off your dog before sending him home?!?!

I don''t know if they were playing with Chups during the most recent visit. I know two visits back they were...but this time, what happened, is a mystery.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Right. I''m just saying in general.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 3/30/2009 10:37:34 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Right. I''m just saying in general.

I know. I am just so nonconfrontation, it''s hard for me. Even when I left the message with the salon, I was shaking.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I''d be super mad about all that. If someone let my pet out to play with children, that would be reason enough for me not to go back. They should have asked permission first. FWIW, my older cat won''t put up with nonsense and if a child came up to her and agressively tried to pet her, she would scratch the kid! lol She stands her own ground. What would the groomer have done if she did that to a kid? Total recipe for disaster.

In your shoes, I''d google the groomer and find websites where you can rate them and go to all of the sites and give them bad reviews. . . not because of the kid issue, but because of the vomit.

 

[Mara]

re: The vomit... I am not sure about Chup, but our dog throws up a lot. She is purebred with a sensitive stomach. She does it fairly fast, she feels instantly better afterwards, and sometimes people don't know its happening if they are not right there with her. We are kind of de-sensitized to vomit after 5 years with her.

Not saying it's 'acceptable' necesarily, but the vomit would not have upset me as much just knowing that the groomers environment is stressful, have you ever been in there when all the dogs start barking or there is a dog crying for 3-4 hours (aka a new arrival, first-timer)? Grooming is a hard job, you have a bunch of pets you are basically babysitting and have to actually work on and groom while you are essentially babysitting but the real JOB should be the grooming, not the babysitting.

One potential scenario: they groomed him, put him back in his kennel, maybe 2-3 dogs got into barking, crying, who knows what and agitated him enough to have him vomit. Or maybe he just had an upset stomach, exacerbated by the kennel environment and the grooming. Maybe they were really busy that day and did not check him as often as they could have to notice the vomit.

I adore my pup, and I would be upset if something really happened to her, but I guess given the info in this situation, I am hesitant to throw the book at the groomer, esp in light of your years of happiness with them. I def would NOT Google and go bad-mouth them all over the internet until you actually know more. If they are a small business, that could really damage their reputation. Something like pet care IS subjective, I would wait until you hear more about what might have happened.

If you do want to discuss your experience once you know more about it, I am an avid Yelper (Yelp.Com) where you can post your experience so that others searching that business can see it. This is how I give positives or negatives, and it's widely used for businesses. Good luck.

 

[Steel]

Yikes

.

Your poor baby. I get so angry with incidents like this. If it were innocent then they should have told you....it beggars belief.

 

[bee*]

What I don''t get is if it was dried in why would they not clean it before they sent Chups home? I would definitely go down to them and see what happened. Taking him out of his cage and letting people play with him would really annoy me too. My mam''s a dog groomer and she would never have let us play with any of the dogs when we were younger. Let us know how you get on!

 

[Clairitek]

I''m sorry to hear about this horrible experience at the groomer. Poor little guy.

I second Hudson and I would go down to the shop and speak to the owner of the shop in person. I really hope you''re able to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Thanks again everyone for the support. I actually didn''t get a phone call from them today, so I am going to take off work tomorrow and go in there. Aside from the whole incident, I am incredibly annoyed that my original phone call wasn''t returned.

Mara, Chupacabra, does not have a sensitive or nervous stomach. And, if he gets sick it''s usually not vomit, I honestly cannot remember the last time (aside from the groomer experience) that he threw up at all. He''s typically a solid, peaceful dog. Which, honestly, makes it all the more worse...something must have really pushed him over the edge because he''s not the type to upset himself to that point for no good reason.

 

[Haven]

Oh my gosh, Italia, I''m so sorry this happened to Chups. I agree with the others that an in-person visit is in order.
I would have been irate after the first incident, and now with this nonsense, I''d be beyond angry.
How''s he doing?

 

[Mara]

ahhh italia...yeah that would be very bizarre then. i hope they have a satisfactory answer (if there is such a thing) for you or at least something that will explain it and make sense. good luck!

 

[CJ2008]

I''d definitely be upset. What if something happened to him?

I''m glad you''re going over there personally - I know you said confrontation is hard for you, but don''t think of it as a confrontation - something happened to your dog while he was in their care and you need to know what happened - you''re protecting your dog.

We''ll be thinking of you.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 3/30/2009 6:22:45 PM
Author: Haven
Oh my gosh, Italia, I''m so sorry this happened to Chups. I agree with the others that an in-person visit is in order.
I would have been irate after the first incident, and now with this nonsense, I''d be beyond angry.
How''s he doing?

Honestly, he seems fine. He won''t go upstairs though

. He''ll make it up the first half flight and then "park it" and wait for either Mark or I to scoop him up. This behavior is totally new.

Thanks for your concern. He''s out little baby...less than 4 pounds.