Petsmart cut part of my dogs ear off what should I do!?!?

Question

My 3.4 lb yorkie was taken into Petsmart for the second time this past week. She did not see the same groomer as she did the first time, but I figured it was good to try new people the first few times. The first groomer said Elsa was very patient and a GREAT dog to work with while grooming.

This past Sunday after we dropped Elsa off we got a phone call stating they were taking her to the emergency room. They had to put her to sleep and sew up a blood vessel they had cut through. I was completly upset and just wanted to make sure my dog was okay, and at that time when I met the manager of the store did not say anything to her because I wanted to see my dog.

After her cast came off her ear, we saw that there was a piece of it now missing off the top corner. They couldn't save the piece that the groomer had cut off,so now she has an ear that looks a little funny. Now, I am glad that my little baby is okay, but I didn't buy a dog with a messed up ear? What to do?

Answer 1

SUE THEIR ASSES OFF.

These people supposedly go to school. I've worked in grooming before and there is never a reason to have cut an actually piece of a body part off!

I would have thrown a fit! Call a lawyer today!

Answer 2

I'm so sorry for what you and your dog went through.

Petsmart should pay for all vet bills associated with the incident. Although they may not offer this information it is very highly likely that they have insurance to cover any medical damages which result from injuries which occur while your pet is in their care. They may not want to file a claim because they don't want their premiums to go up, but push them on it. They weren't grooming your dog for free, it was a paid service and as such you have every right to expect that the service you paid for be safely performed and that they should make things right for you when it is not.

I suggest now that you're in a calmer frame of mind that you meet with the manager and get some idea of how they feel that the situation should be resolved. It's in their best interest to appease you, and they might be inclined to refund you part or all of the money or all that you spent on your pet.

After all, you did purchase a purebred pet, whether from them or from a breeder, and since they have caused the pet to deviate from the appearance of a purebred pet they should at the very least reimburse you the difference between the price of a "free to a good home" pet and what you paid for your dog.

Yorkies are not inexpensive, even the pet quality ones, and a great deal of that high price tag goes for obtaining an animal with a certain "look," which does not include cropped ears and especially not one half cropped ragged ear. If Petsmart feels that paying the vet bills is their only obligation, then I suggest that you might look into filing a claim in small claims court. You could also look into a lawyer, but that might run into more expense than you could ever expect to recover.

Answer 3

If you were to sue for the difference between show and pet quality you would have to prove that the dog could have been shown in conformation and that doing so was your intention. You would also have to have a full registration, because more than likley Pet Smart would know that you could not show it in conformation without one and would bring that up. Then AKC rules would be looked at and show that the dog was probably still showable however the fact that it probably would not do well with this damage would not be in writting anywhere. Judges, have very little clue to most dog or dog show related issues however, I don't think anyone who actually was interested in showing has a dog groomed at Pet Smart. Ears are very thin and once damaged or cut it is almost impossible to keep the skin viable and retain the area that may have been to separated. Anyway, what you could attempt to sue for is the difference in value to you between what the dog was worth to you aesthetically without the damage done. Pet Smart did pay the associated bills, right? How you could prove an amount that was reduced in the dog's value, would be the issue if you were to take it to court. One thing that might prove something like that would be to find 2 Yorkies of equal quality other wise that are for sale, where one of them also has a similar damage to the ear and is being sold for less money. That might be considered evidence of a loss in value and how much value to a court. Beyond that, consider this: When you have your hair cut at major chains or department stores do you expect the same kind of expertise that you get from fancy privately owned salons? Maybe it is time to look for a groomer who has a good following not because they are working out of a large busy chain but because their work is good.

Answer 4

I would check first to see if you signed some sort of waiver to see if you signed away rights to sue Petsmart if the dog is injured while being groomed. If you did not and there is nothing posted in the store about them being unresponsible for something of that nature, I would look into taking legal action aginst the store if your vet bills are substantial. It may be wise to consult an attorney to see if it would be worth paying an attorney to sue the store to try to recoup the costs of the dog's medical problems. And I know you didn't buy a dog with part of its ear missing, but it is still the same dog and will still love you whether it has half or all of its ear. So make sure you keep it and love it, even though it wasn't what you may not have expected to happen to it.

Answer 5

Some things can't be taught, like tact and how to relate to human beings. Your groomer lacks those skills but it doesn't mean she is a bad groomer. A groomer does not have to do an in depth examination to tell that a dog is badly matted. She may have done her job of grooming well, but her job of talking to you as a person and a dog owner was lacking. You might want to go to a different groomer. I used to be a groomer and it was not unusual for people to come in with dogs that were matted. I would show people how to split mats, sell the the tools to do it, combs and brushes, tell them how not to bathe the dog or dry it, anything I could to help prevent matting. Sometimes no matter what I showed someone, they just were not up to doing it. Shaving is more humane than de-tangling if the mats are tight and numerous. She probably did the best thing there. Still, go where you feel respected as a person.

Answer 6

Wow! awww i have a Yorkie myself and I know that if anyone hurt my baby...i would deffinently sue! sue and sue somemore! Ive set and watch them groom my Yorkie and sometimes they are care full and sometimes they are very very ruff!If you do decide to sue, you shouldn't have a problem on getting what you want...because I don't think they want to b known for cutting of a little adorable Yorke's ear!

Answer 7

They are at least responsible for the vet bills, but you might also sue for the cost difference between a "show quality" Yorkie and a "pet quality" one as they have just devalued the conformation of your dog.

Answer 8

Wow sorry about your dog, that really sucks! I really think that you should sue for what they did. That's not right! If that were to happen to my kitty I would be so upset and I would most definetly sue! Good Luck!

Answer 9

I would take them to court and make them pay for all of your vet bills, and their negligence! I would also request that groomer be fired immediately!

Answer 10

You seriously should sue them. Demand a full refund. Demand that they pay for any and all vet bills for negligance AND tell them that they need to fire the idiot who did that. Not only that but they had no right to take your dog to the emergency room WITHOUT your permission, and make any decisions reguarding your dogs well being, and then expect you to pay for it.