What are your opinions of Dog Groomers?

Question

There has been a lot of media attention lately to accidents happening at the grooming shops. None of which really get the other side of the story.

I am a groomer and talk to many other groomers via the internet. There have been a few that were dragged through the mud by the press for a dog dying or being injured in thier shops. I'm not defending irresponsible or neglect by a groomer. I take the safety of any dog in my care very seriously. But I have heard a couple of groomer's sides that say the pets had pre existing conditions that just the stress of grooming unknowingly worsened . Those are the sides you don't hear on the news.

Government licensing has come up and has been heavily debated by groomers. Many feel the government will just collect thier fees, forcing groomers to raise prices and not really weed out the bad or irresposible groomers. Others think it will raise standards and add respectabilty to our profession. What do pet owners think?

Answer 1

I always have trust in groomers, until proven differently. Little accidents are prone to happenening, such as trimming the nails too short, due to a squirming dog.
I think owners should be upfront with any conditions that could cause complications, during grooming. Or warning signs on when to stop.

Answer 2

I know your question is geared towards pet owners, but being a groomer myself, I know how you feel. Glad you brought this question up.

It's sad that a few irrisponsible groomers have to give a whole profession a bad name. Also, it's funny that all the news coverage on this subject seems to only revolve around the same 3 or 4 cases! But you keep hearing it over and over again.

I had a dog die on my table once. Thankfully the dog had only been in the shop for about 5 minutes. The dog came in, owner left, I put the dog on the table, picked up a brush, and the dog fell over...dead! We rushed it to the vet, insisted on a necropsy (just so I wasn't held responsible) but the owner refused because she already KNEW the dog had a heart condition that she never told me about! The dog was only 5 yrs old.

This is why, pet owners, it is very important for you to let us know of ANY medical problems your pet may have!

I have mixed feelings about licensing. Will it really weed out the bad apples? Or will it just create headaches for us? If we trim a nail back too far, and an owner decided to have a hissy fit over it, are we going to lose our license to groom? I wouldn't think an owner would get all upset over something so common, but there was a post on here where this happened and the owner wanted to have the groomer charged with cruelty! For kwiking a NAIL??? Come on! That happens to every groomer.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents.

Answer 3

Frankly, I love the girl who trims my dog's nails. Since she a short haired dog, she doesn't need any other kind of grooming that I can't provide, but I think groomers are no different than anyone else. There are great ones and there are bad ones. It's just too bad that the bad ones have to ruin it for for everyone else.

Answer 4

The groomer I take my puggy to & my mother in law takes her Shih Tzu to is a sweet lady she is awesome with the animals. She personally does the grooming she has an assistant that brushes the dogs after she trims them & the assistant also puts a bandanna on each animal that comes thru.

Answer 5

We approve of groomers having to be licensed (through the state or federal government) and requiring the groomers to have liability insurance (to cover any damage they do to an owner's pet.)

We have had both good and bad experiences with groomers. The groomer I take my own dog to is excellent. But a family member took her dog to another groomer, who proceeded to blind her dog by "accidentally" piercing its eye...

Answer 6

I dated a dog groomer. and met many groomers. I went to shows in Chicago and Atlanta. Most are really nice people who do CARE about dogs! Even those my relationship ended with my dog groomer, I will always be appreciative of the world she showed me!

Answer 7

God bless them, they must love what they do.