Puppy - December 10th, 2005 to May 4th, 2009
PUPPY…
I recently lost my little dog who I found just over 3 years ago. He was abandoned on Liverpool Road, South Pickering on Saturday, December 10th, 2005. I saw him walking into the street as I was heading home, & stopped because I thought for sure he would get hit. He managed to miss the bus that was turning and crossed the street coming straight for me. I grabbed the little guy & put him safely in my car & proceeded home. When I got him into the house & saw his condition I was appalled. He had no coat on his backside; his skin was covered with fleas. His remaining coat was matted, he smelled terrible & I thought what have I gotten myself into?
I put him into a room, as I did not want my cats to get near him. I rushed to the local pet store & started buying everything I would need to help my new visitor. I rushed home & my girlfriend who is a hair dresser was visiting, & between us, we washed & washed this little guy to make him comfortable. As we washed him, we also discovered he was blind.
When I took him to my vet on the Monday, he said the dog was about 12-14 years of age & if I kept him I would be taking on quite a responsibility. I said I would keep him & take care of him always. The story of my life with "Puppy" has a very sad ending to a great find for both of us.
I lost my little dog on Monday, May 4th, 2009. It started as a regular day; we got up and went for our short walk. Puppy ate his food, and then it was time to take him to be groomed at our local groomers, I live in South Pickering. He never liked it there, but the groomer always reassured me he was fine & once in he settled & they showed that they "cared". They called me after 1:00 to pick him up as he was ready. I went over, paid and a young girl rushed over to get him for me. She was asked by my groomer to pick him up, which she very abruptly did which made me uneasy. When she brought Puppy to me he was wheezing, coughing almost choking...I asked her what was happening. She was too rushed trying to catch another dog she let out, so my regular groomer who heard me said he was OK & had been good during the grooming.
I thought he was stressed being there & said to myself, I will not bring him back again. I walked him then put him in the car to take him home. My little dog died around 4:00 pm.... I was in disbelief. I with a friend took Puppy to the emergency clinic to have him cremated. I had a bad feeling & wanted to know what happened so I called my groomer to try and get answers.
I spoke to Puppy's groomer, and her story kept changing as though she was being coached. The morning receptionist had called to tell me he was having trouble breathing, & when I asked why I was not called to pick him up immediately to take him to my vets, she said the owner or my regular groomer would call me.
I heard from the owner, who stated, ‘she knew Puppy was dying’. When I asked why she did not inform me of this, she stated, ‘their policy is to not tell the owner their pet is dying because they don't want to upset them’!!! The audacity of this statement left me in awe!
Since my dog died, I cannot eat, or sleep through the night. I keep feeling guilty that if I knew he was not doing well and had been told by this grooming establishment, I may have been able to help him. He may still be with me! I don't know! I feel people, who work with animals and are in it just for the money, should not be allowed to take care of our precious companions.
This little dog brought me so much love. He came into my life at a very difficult time & he taught me that I could take care of him & myself as well. He was never any trouble.
I have inquired to reputable dog grooming salons & this is what they feel happened:
“Puppy was a cockapoo. If that's the case, what probably happened to cause him to have breathing difficulties was that he was crate dried. What this means is, instead of the groomer blow drying the dog, they put the dog in a crate and hung a blow drier on the outside, forcing air inside the crate to dry the dog. This is frequently done in salons but not advised for dogs that have flat faces or that suffer from collapsed tracheas. Due to the fact that Puppy is part poodle, toy poodles suffer from collapsed tracheas, and thus require hand drying. So, IF the Salon dried Puppy incorrectly then this could have caused his death!”
Although I do not know for certain what truly happened to Puppy as I am still waiting to receive his records from this Dog Grooming Salon, a few things are for certain… First, whatever occurred, the Dog Grooming Salon was wrong in not calling me much earlier and telling me Puppy was in distress! Second, it was heartless to give me the dog back when he was so ill and charge me for grooming him. Surely if he was in distress they should have called me immediately and not groomed him! Third, I am extremely unhappy with the way the Dog Grooming Salon has dealt with this situation, me and most importantly, Puppy! Finally, since this occurred, other customers of the Dog Grooming Salon have begun to voice their discontent with the attitude and approach of this Dog Grooming Salon! Not surprisingly, I have found out so many terrible stories since I started speaking out about this place because….the truth will always shine threw!
I hope my story will touch your hearts & you will be able to warn other pet lovers about establishments such as this one.
If you want to speak to me, please don't hesitate to call 416-464-1200.
Blessings...
JoAnn
“Because animals seem to dwell in the present moment, because their own presence is so instinctive, their attention so unwavering, they offer us a different kind of compassion than humans do. Anyone is lucky to have both human and animal comfort in their lives.”
—Brenda Peterson