R & R Unleashed

Review: Mishandeling of an animal-dog was hurt in her care.Would like this issue to be handled with a refund along with vet bills paid for and a complaint on file so that others are aware, hoping this doesn't happen to another animal in her care.Desired Settlement: I brought my dog to R & R unleashed on Thursday December 5th to be washed and get her nails trimmed. She walked into the establishment on her own (the owner even says that is true), we got a phone call after she had been washed that she yelped really loud when she was picked up from the sink to the table and can't stand now. She was instructed to put her in the kennel and she if she stands up on her own, she can finish grooming her, if she does not within the next 30 min to an hour to call us we would pick her up, so we could bring her to the vet. We received no call, so we picked her up two hours later and she had been finished groomed, but could not walk at all. We called the vet from the parking lot and she had an apt first thing in the morning on Friday. X-Rays were done and she had to be put under and have her hip put back into place. I have document from the vet stating that this injury is not from being picked up improperly, along with documents stating she had no prior

Business

Response:

R & R's Unleashed is a full service grooming facility, located in Eden, NY. In existence for 2 years, we cater to a large array of different breeds and handle not only show dogs, but a large variety of family pets. I am very familiar with [redacted], the Shiba lnu dog which I have groomed 6 times at my facility. She is a good dog, but overweight and her breed is prone to hip dysplasia. This combination is not healthy. When [redacted] was in my care and in the tub, she let out a cry. Not because she jumped, or was mishandled, but because her hip was handled. I called the owner immediately where he put me at ease and told me that she had acted that way before. As I always do when I have her in my care, I carried her to the tub, to the table and to the kennel when she was finished.

10 Days after [redacted] was groomed, the owner, came to my office and told me that the dog was taken to the veterinarian the day after her grooming and that she had needed surgery. He had a letter from the vet that stated that she had a "luxated left hip" and "that it takes extreme force and trauma, such as a fall or being hit by a car" to have had that happen. Her injury did not happen under my watch. I contend that [redacted] had a pre-disposed problem, whether the owners realized it or not. When I was bathing the dog, the injury came to light because of the human contact. I, in no way, harmed [redacted]. It is remarkable to me that the owner immediately contacted your office and made out a police report, but waited 10 days to speak to me about it. He threatened to "take me to court" if I didn't pay for his vet bills, in the span of 10 days. I know that he borrowed the money from his in-laws for the surgery and with the pressure of the costs and the nearness to the holidays, he may have thought that he could pressure me with his threats.

I contacted my lawyer immediately and he advised a cooling off period- that is why I did not respond to your letter earlier. It is unfair of the owners to have gone to your company and to the police to file a complaint before they came to me to find a resolution. I think they sought your support in an effort to intimidate me. The owner has no grounds to take court action and his complaint should be dismissed by your company. It is so easy for people to try to ruin the reputation of a good company and it is very difficult to defend yourself against the unknown. My contention is that I in no way harmed [redacted], that I called the customer as soon as I knew there was some discomfort and that I took my queue from them on the phone.

Thank you

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.