The Pooch Palace

This letter is in response to a complaint that one of my customers filed with youAs she states, she has been a customer for years, and I previously allowed her or her husband to restrain their cat, Max, while I clipped large mats off of parts of his bodyThe last time that Max was in for grooming, he was notably a little more agitated than he had been during previous groomingsWhen her husband tried to restrain Max, he had a very hard time maintaining control of the animal,and kept "letting go", putting himself, Max,and me in serious jeopardyTo elaborate, a cat bite is a very serious injury, as seeking medical treatment for them- by law- puts the doctor in the position of having to file a bite report with the police, resulting in a quarantine period for the animal,for which the owner is completely financially liableThe cost for this is high, usually between $and $300, not even taking into account the amount of stress the situation puts on the animal as well as the ownerThis being said, I was not comfortable allowing the owners to restrain Max anymore, and his advanced age makes safe handling a little more difficultWe have a team of groomers specially trained in the safe handling of agitated cats, and this is something that we do dozens of times a weekAs far as I know, we are the only groomer who handles cats in Washington county because most groomers are not knowledgeable, equipped or skilled enough to take on the unique challenges that come with grooming an especially dangerous animalAs we were taking Max out of the crate he was in, he was hissing,and tried to bite me.This is not an issue of aggression, but of fear, and we put a cat muzzle on him, as this tends to calm the animal because it covers their eyes,and removes some of the sensory stimulation that is upsetting themWe clipped his nails to lessen the chance of being injured by Max scratching, as well as decreasing the risk to his face which could result from him trying to pull the muzzle off with his feetWe safely restrained Max, and quickly shaved the mats that were pulling on his skin, wiped him down with a washcloth, combed his mane and put him back in the crateThe whole process took about minutesAs for the dog that was "kicked in the forehead", my groomer pushed him away from the table with her foot (in a Croc), as her hands were busy restraining a particularly agitated MaxShe did this because she recognized that the dog was going into "prey mode" as dogs will do with small animals that make "weird" sounds, and was winding up to jump up onto the table and grab MaxDogs lose eyes to the business end of a cat's claw, and this was a preventable issueSue was there while we groomed Max, and she paid for his haircut and left without saying anything to me about being upset, and your letter was the first indication that there was even a problemI am not willing to give her a refund because I had a groomer and a grooming assistant holding Max while I groomed him, and those are man hours that my business deserves to compensated forI am sorry that Sue is upset, but I believe that this is a case of an overprotective pet owner being hyper-emotional about a situation that was a little tense, and her option in the future will be to have Max sedated and groomed at a veterinary office, which will take all day, and cost about $We are recommended by all of the vets in West Bend, as well as the Washington County Humane Society because we ALWAYS handle animals in a way that is safest for them, and us, which is why in the years that I have been with this shop, we have only needed to seek medical treatment for animal bitesWe groom between and dogs a day, on average, and we are there days a weekNot a bad record, and almost all of our customers are happy to walk in and SEE us performing our jobs in an environment that is friendly and safe, if not a little crazy Sincerely, [redacted] , owner

This letter is in response to a complaint that one of my customers filed with you. As she states, she has been a customer for years, and I previously allowed her...

or her husband to restrain their cat, Max, while I clipped large mats off of parts of his body. The last time that Max was in for grooming, he was notably a little more agitated than he had been during previous groomings. When her husband tried to restrain Max, he had a very hard time maintaining control of the animal,and kept "letting go", putting himself, Max,and me in serious jeopardy. To elaborate, a cat bite is a very serious injury, as  seeking medical treatment for them- by law- puts the doctor in the position of having to file a bite report with the police, resulting in a quarantine period for the animal,for which the owner is completely financially liable. The cost for this is high, usually between $100 and $300, not even taking into account the amount of stress the situation puts on the animal as well as the owner. This being said, I was not comfortable allowing the owners to restrain Max anymore, and his advanced age makes safe handling a little more difficult. We have a team of groomers specially trained in the safe handling of agitated cats, and this is something that we do dozens of times a week. As far as I know, we are the only groomer who handles cats in Washington county because most groomers are not knowledgeable, equipped or skilled enough to take on the unique challenges that come with grooming an especially dangerous animal. As we were taking Max out of the crate he was in, he was hissing,and tried to bite me.This is not an issue of aggression, but of fear, and we put a cat muzzle on him, as this tends to calm the animal because it covers their eyes,and removes some of the sensory stimulation that is upsetting them. We clipped his nails to lessen the chance of being injured by Max scratching, as well as decreasing the risk to his face which could result from him trying to pull the muzzle off with his feet. We safely restrained Max, and quickly shaved the mats that were pulling on his skin, wiped him down with a washcloth, combed his mane and put him back in the crate. The whole process took about 20 minutes. As for the dog that was "kicked in the forehead", my groomer pushed him away from the table with her foot (in a Croc), as her hands were busy restraining a particularly agitated Max. She did this because she recognized that the dog was going into "prey mode" as dogs will do with small animals that make "weird" sounds, and was winding up to jump up onto the table and grab Max. Dogs lose eyes to the business end of a cat's claw, and this was a preventable issue. Sue was there while we groomed Max, and she paid for his haircut and left without saying anything to me about being upset, and your letter was the first indication that there was even a problem. I am not willing to give her a refund because I had a groomer and a grooming assistant holding Max while I groomed him, and those are man hours that my business deserves to compensated for. I am sorry that Sue is upset, but I believe that this is a case of an overprotective pet owner being hyper-emotional about a situation that was a little tense, and her option in the future will be to have Max sedated and groomed at a  veterinary office, which will take all day, and cost about $150. We are recommended  by all of the vets in West Bend, as well as the Washington County Humane Society because we ALWAYS handle animals in a way that is safest for them, and us, which is why in the 16 years that I have been with this shop, we have only needed to seek medical treatment for 6 animal bites. We groom between 40 and 60 dogs a day, on average, and we are there 5 days a week. Not a bad record, and almost all of our customers are happy to walk in and SEE us performing our jobs in an environment that is friendly and safe, if not a little crazy   
                                                                                         Sincerely,
                                                                                           [redacted], owner

I am going to stand by my original submission, as I know that it best represents the facts in this matter, only to add that the phone call I made to the customer was an attempt to reconcile this issue, and to express my regrets that she did not approach me first, or directly, about her concerns. I considered this person a friend, and we have known each other for about seven years. She voiced NO concerns while at the shop, and in fact never even asked to come into the grooming area with Max. Many of the "details" she reports are wildly fabricated or exaggerated by a person who CLEARLY does not understand the potentially dangerous nature of ANY animal in a situation in which they are nervous.

Revdex.com:
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.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]
For [redacted] to state that I didn't say anything or confront her is a joke. All I wanted was to get out of there with my cat. I was in shock and horrified that she could have done something like that to him. As for "asking" if I could go back and hold him, that's always been a given with any of my pets. I've always, as has been my husband allowed to be with them. Again to call my home and threaten me with a judgement because I stood up for my animal is uncalled for and should have been handled through the proper channels. She didn't need to state to me that I wasn't going to take down her business, that was uncalled for. She caused a lot of damage to Max and a month later he is finally coming out of his shell and somewhat acting like himself. He can finally jump again without falling off of things because his claws had been cut so short. I have found another groomer and I will go on as will she, but she needs to state that she was wrong and make that wrong right.

Revdex.com:
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.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]
 
 First of all [redacted] is not coincident with any of
her statements or comments. My husband was not there to “restrain” Max for this
visit and her statement that he’s wasn’t able to “control” Max is a joke! My
husband is 6’4” and over 200 pounds, so what a ridiculous statement to be made
that he couldn’t control a 10 lb. cat at the age of 17. We have other cats and
our Max is the poster cat of why you should own a cat. He is never angry or
defensive in anyway and has NEVER been nor is he dangerous! This is not an over
protective owner, it’s the facts. He’s the cat that all of our friends and
family call for when they come in our home because of his calm nature and
loving soul!  If I wasn’t “allowed” to be
with him, seeing as I was the one who brought him in, than I should have been
made aware of it at the time of the visit that the rules had changed that I
couldn’t be with him, because at that point I would have taken him out of
there! Cats are a different breed and they know what they know and beyond that
is pushing their limits and as a cat owner I've always understood that.
If my cat had bitten any of her staff and she
filed a complaint the statement she made about him being quarantined is
ridiculous. I have called several vets and groomers in the area and the only
place he would have been quarantined to would have been his own home, which
would not have been a problem seeing as he’s an indoor cat. [redacted] stated to me
that he would have been taken away and that alone would “have killed him” She
also stated he would need to go to the vet to get groomed and need to be
knocked out and that too would also “kill him”
On January 25, 2015 at 3:17pm I received a called
form [redacted] which is [redacted]’s number. She proceeded to tell me that she was
going to dispute my complaint, told me I was basically not going to tarnish her
business of 18 years, yet her statement says 16 years, stated that I wasn’t there
at the time, which I was and threatened me. She informed me that if word got
back to her of any of this she is going to slap a judgment on me so fast
basically my head would spin. I told her don’t threaten me and she said it’s
not a threat but a promise. [redacted] is not the only groomer in town that grooms
cats, [redacted] is not the only groomer that vets recommend as a groomer and [redacted]
fully admitted that she and her staff were having a “Bad” day while Max was
being groomed. If you’re having a bad day than call it a day and calm down. She
also stated that a cat bite is the very worst thing……….REALLY? I doubt that I
would want to be bitten by a bat or a pit-bull, how can she single out a cat
with up to date shots. I have been scratched and been bitten by my cats through
play and no I’m not dead because of it nor have I had to seek medical treatment. I certainly did not appreciate being called on my cell by [redacted] and I do not want to have contact with her ever again! 
If one grooms 40-60 animals a day which is 19, 00
animals a year how does she know in such detail about my Max or any of my other
cats? None of my animals are on file there and she can’t remember or know all
the pets that come in there seeing as she isn't the only groomer.
As for her statement about the dog that was kicked
in the phone call that she made to me she stated that the dog saw Max as a
rabbit and the staff member was protecting Max………so now the staff and owner are
dog whisperers. I saw the dog as worried but another four legged friend not as
a threat.
Our money isn’t going to make or break me nor will
it make or break Pooch Palace but it’s now the principal of it, I want complete
reimbursement for a horrible botched job and bad business etiquette.

I live next door and they seem to let their dogs poop in our yard over and over and over .And after talking to them they said that they would make sure the dogs don't poop in our yard .They're not doing that. The business owner daughter came over and told us their company was in business before our house with even here. which is not true because our house was here for 54 years. I know we're not the only house owners that lived in this house that had this issue. They seem to not be doing anything about it. I have kids that play in the yard and I don't own a dog I don't need my kids tracking in dog poop on the shoes on my new carpet. when the dogs are pooping in our yard and running in our yard they don't say anything to the dogs unless we are outside complaining about it then when we do complain about it they still don't pick up the Poop.

Review: I use to recommend this place to everyone I know. Let it be known I WILL never go to this place ever again. I had brought my 17 year old cat here as I have for years. He hates to be brushed so in order to get rid of his mats we have taken him to Pooch Palace and have never had a problem, until this past weekend. I have always been able to go and help hold my cats when they're getting groomed but this time I wasn't able to. I told the owner to be gentle with him because he's old and can't tolerate too much stress. Let's just say he was treated like an animal going to slaughter. He became very nervous and the more he became nervous the meaner [redacted] got with him. She put a mask over his face, had 2 people come and hold him hog style and just took out her days frustrations on this poor 10 lb. baby. She angrily clipped his front nails, which I didn't ask for and was a totally different person that I have ever seen. It was a pet owners worst nightmare. If you've ever been there you will know that when the dogs are done they have the freedom to walk around until they're picked up. There was a chocolate cn dog that wanted to see what was going on and one of the girls holding down my cat kicked this dog in the forehead. I wish I knew who the owner of this dog was because I would tell them what happened to their animal. This is not what people pay for. Our animals are like our children and to have them treated any different is unacceptable. I had no voice while I was there, one I couldn't believe what was happening and two I didn't know what more they could do to my best friend. I feel like I let my Max down. But I will not be silent, not anymore. Please help the animals that go to this HORRIBLE place.Desired Settlement: Not only do I want a refund, but the whole staff needs to go to training to learn how to respect animals and their caregivers. Really I would like to see them shut down.......no animal deserves this kind of treatment

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to a complaint that one of my customers filed with you. As she states, she has been a customer for years, and I previously allowed her or her husband to restrain their cat, Max, while I clipped large mats off of parts of his body. The last time that Max was in for grooming, he was notably a little more agitated than he had been during previous groomings. When her husband tried to restrain Max, he had a very hard time maintaining control of the animal,and kept "letting go", putting himself, Max,and me in serious jeopardy. To elaborate, a cat bite is a very serious injury, as seeking medical treatment for them- by law- puts the doctor in the position of having to file a bite report with the police, resulting in a quarantine period for the animal,for which the owner is completely financially liable. The cost for this is high, usually between $100 and $300, not even taking into account the amount of stress the situation puts on the animal as well as the owner. This being said, I was not comfortable allowing the owners to restrain Max anymore, and his advanced age makes safe handling a little more difficult. We have a team of groomers specially trained in the safe handling of agitated cats, and this is something that we do dozens of times a week. As far as I know, we are the only groomer who handles cats in Washington county because most groomers are not knowledgeable, equipped or skilled enough to take on the unique challenges that come with grooming an especially dangerous animal. As we were taking Max out of the crate he was in, he was hissing,and tried to bite me.This is not an issue of aggression, but of fear, and we put a cat muzzle on him, as this tends to calm the animal because it covers their eyes,and removes some of the sensory stimulation that is upsetting them. We clipped his nails to lessen the chance of being injured by Max scratching, as well as decreasing the risk to his face which could result from him trying to pull the muzzle off with his feet. We safely restrained Max, and quickly shaved the mats that were pulling on his skin, wiped him down with a washcloth, combed his mane and put him back in the crate. The whole process took about 20 minutes. As for the dog that was "kicked in the forehead", my groomer pushed him away from the table with her foot (in a Croc), as her hands were busy restraining a particularly agitated Max. She did this because she recognized that the dog was going into "prey mode" as dogs will do with small animals that make "weird" sounds, and was winding up to jump up onto the table and grab Max. Dogs lose eyes to the business end of a cat's claw, and this was a preventable issue. Sue was there while we groomed Max, and she paid for his haircut and left without saying anything to me about being upset, and your letter was the first indication that there was even a problem. I am not willing to give her a refund because I had a groomer and a grooming assistant holding Max while I groomed him, and those are man hours that my business deserves to compensated for. I am sorry that Sue is upset, but I believe that this is a case of an overprotective pet owner being hyper-emotional about a situation that was a little tense, and her option in the future will be to have Max sedated and groomed at a veterinary office, which will take all day, and cost about $150. We are recommended by all of the vets in West Bend, as well as the Washington County Humane Society because we ALWAYS handle animals in a way that is safest for them, and us, which is why in the 16 years that I have been with this shop, we have only needed to seek medical treatment for 6 animal bites. We groom between 40 and 60 dogs a day, on average, and we are there 5 days a week. Not a bad record, and almost all of our customers are happy to walk in and SEE us performing our jobs in an environment that is friendly and safe, if not a little crazy