Waggers Pet Spa

Review: I made an appointment with Wagger's to have my Miniature Schnauzer puppy groomed for the first time on 6/29/2014. First off, they either failed to follow my instructions or lost the instructions card because they gave him an equal length buzz-cut. But I liked the business up until this point, so I went ahead and booked a second appointment.When I got home, I noticed that the sclera of his eyes were red. I brought him back to Wagger's and asked what might have happened. The owner became immediately defensive and said that there is no way anything they did while grooming him caused the injury. I told her that I pay very close attention to his eyes because he receives daily eye drops; and I didn't expect her to take full responsibility or provide any compensation - I just wanted to know what to relay to my vet. I offered for her to come along with me for the exam. She refused and I could only go to a vet of her choice - but I called my own vet anyway for an emergency exam. The vet's conclusion was that my puppy was severely strangled, which resulted in rupturing of the capillaries in his eyes. She has seen this before due rough handling during grooming, but this was the worst case she has seen. There was bruising around his neck and a cut on his paw. She prescribed meds and advised to return if his condition worsened.What started out as a small bloody patch (about the size of half a sunflower seed) became a completely bloody eye with no whites present because the blood vessels did not stop bleeding overnight - this was accompanied by severe diarrhea because of stress. He is currently still undergoing treatment and monitoring. The vet is concerned about excessive fluid build-up as a result of the strangulation - and he may lose partial vision due to nerve damage. The vet was so upset that she called Wagger's to address the incident.Wagger's has tried to reimburse me for the initial vet visit but is unwilling to assist in additional exams and expenses for my puppy's recovery. She said that he had a pre-existing eye condition... My puppy has seen an Opthamologist regarding corneal edema, an aesthetic abnormality. Sorry Wagger's, but strangulation is NOT a pre-existing condition. I used to visit Wagger's regularly to buy food and supplies for my puppy because they provided great service up until this point. I felt it necessary to post my story to the pet community not out of financial retribution, but because the owner acted so carelessly and with such disregard for my pet's well-being - then wouldn't even own up to correcting the issue.Desired Settlement: Full transparency of grooming procedures, or to halt grooming services completely. Accountability of damages/injuries incurred to animals while under the supervision of the grooming facility. Routine inspections and grooming procedures/training.

Business

Response:

WAGGER’S saw Mr. **’s dog for grooming on Sunday (6/29/14). After Mr. ** took his dog home, he called our store dissatisfied about the hair cut the groomer gave his Miniature Schnauzer and he want to cancel his next appointment. He also asked if anything had happen to his dog while in grooming because the dog’s eye was slightly red. The manager ([redacted]) advised him that she hadn’t been told by the groomer that anything had happen. Later that day, Mr. ** came back to the store with his dog, and [redacted] got to see the dog’s blood shot eye. She immediately offered to take Mr. Le and his dog to [redacted] to get seen & to be available to cover any Vet expenses. Mr. ** refused to go with [redacted], because he wanted to take his dog to his Vet.

On Tuesday ( July 1st ) we received a call from Mr. **’s Vet at [redacted]. The Vet told [redacted] she had just seen Mr. **’s dog, and calmly explained to [redacted] that the injury to the dog’s eyes was a result from him being groomed. The Vet asked if the dog was moving around a lot on the grooming table & was he a challenge to groom. [redacted] told her that the groomer had mention he was a challenge to groom. The Vet told [redacted] she thought the dog was going to be fine, but that Mr. ** wanted to be compensated for his expenses. [redacted] offered to pay the Vet bill on that day but was told it had already been processed.

On July 3rd Mr. Le came to the store and asked that the Banfield bill and any future vet expenses be covered by WAGGER’S. [redacted] informed him that our Insurance Company was already contacted, and that they would be handling the matter. The Insurance Claim is currently active and our business has taken action to satisfy this customer.

Business

Response:

We stand by our statement that was sent to your company last month.

To date the insurance claim that was submitted at the beginning of July is still

open. The [redacted] is still awaiting documentation from

Mr. ** regarding any expenses incurred by him due to this accident.

We do not take this matter lightly nor have we ever down played the situation.

We have had No Contact with Mr ** nor have we sent him any correspondance since

our insurance company was assigned this case at the beginning of July.

Consumer

Response:

1) Customer Service and Rights:

The owners and/or managers involved should be required to take certified courses in customer service and customer rights and show proof of this. If an issue such as ours arises in the future, the person in charge of the facility at the time should know how to properly and professionally handle the situation instead of blaming the customers for the injuries right off the bat without acknowledging that there is even a slight possibility that their employees potentially mistreated a pet or the pet was hurt there (even by accident). It should not take the issue being escalated to the news stations and social media for them to admit fault and fire an employee. Honesty is always the best policy.

2) Groomer Training:

The groomer allowed to work with any animals should be required to take proper certified courses and (X) amount of training hours with the owners present during the entirety of the training period. If the groomer does not have proper experience or skills, required to work with animals, they should never be left alone with one. It is the business owner(s)’ responsibility to ensure that the staff they hire are qualified professionals.

3) Security Cameras:

The business should consider security cameras in the grooming areas where customers are not allowed. This would help with investigating any issues where the owner/manager cannot be present with their employee(s) who are allowed to handle the animals. It also would be helpful in the case that a customer may want to view their pet, which is currently not allowed at this establishment. In case of any issues, video footage should be presented by the business and the customer allowed to view their pet’s grooming session.

4) Investigations:

If an issue is brought up to the owners and/or managers that involves an animal serviced by them being injured, it should be taken seriously and a formal investigation within the business should be conducted immediately. The customer, rightfully so, should be kept up-to-date and current on the actions being taken and any findings involving their pet. The business should make a practice of reaching out to the customers throughout the entire process until the issue(s) have been resolved.

5) Veterinarian During a Investigation:

It should solely up be to the customer whose pet was injured as a cause of gross negligence or misconduct on the business’ part to bring their pet to their normal care provider, as well as bringing the pet to the business’ licensed veterinarian of choice for a second opinion, as long as both parties are allowed to be present during the entire process and examination to ensure fair and proper treatment.

6) Incident Report and Closing Report:

As a matter of policy, the business should be required to form and produce a written incident report with a statement of facts by involved parties at the time the injury is reported. This should be provided to the customer for their record and filed for (X) amount of years. A closing report with the findings and resolution should also be formed and filed for legal purposes.

7) Financial Compensation After At-Fault Investigation:

Should an independent veterinarian find that the injuries present were acquired during the grooming session, regardless of whether it was intentional or not by the business, ALL veterinary and specialists expenses should be taken care of by Waggers Pet Spa and Market. It is the responsibility of the business whose care the pet was under to ensure that the customer’s pet makes a full recovery from any incident(s) that occurred at the establishment while under their care, by their employees. Even in the event that financial compensation is given for current care costs and treatment, if at any time after this incident, the injuries acquired cause permanent damage or even death, the business and/or its employees will still be held accountable for their actions and gross negligence in the court of law.