[help] PetSmart, Just F**k my S**t up, Fams

[alecschanno]

So I just got back from PetSmart in Southlake, Texas and they completely messed up a cut on my Golden Retreiver. I'm incredibly annoyed and speaking to the store manager tomorrow, would appreciate any other advice.

I'm also concerned (since, against our instructions, they shaved her) about the summer now and getting sunburn while outside. She isn't an outdoor kept dog, but we spend a lot of time taking her on walks and with her playing out in the back garden.

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Any advice on how to care for her until her hair grows through again? Also, any advice on how to handle the ongoing issue with PetSmart?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alecschanno Well your best bet is to speak to the manager. You'll get your money back unless your dog was severely matted, even then usually they pay out.

Our best bet is to brush your dog continuously especially where they were shaved. If your dog is healthy and it's the first time they were shaved odds are in your favor of it growing back.

You can get sunblock for dogs if you are concerned.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

Also just as a side note, if the grooming instructions including shaving whoever dropped the dog off would have to sign and initial what was being done. There's a specific section to initial if and is being shaved. I'd be interested to see if that was initialed.

 

[anjaliz]

@alecschanno On caring for her coat:

• Realistically, she most likely will not suffer any ill effect in terms of sunburn. If it would make you feel better, yes, there are sunscreens for dogs, it won't hurt her to use one but I do not think it will be necessary.
• As it begins to grow back in, you NEED to brush it. Yes, even when it's short. Use a fine toothed comb and go through it often. This sounds stupid but trust me, it will help. The undercoat may grow in faster than the guard hairs and if you do not brush it regularly the guard hairs may have a hard time getting through. You need to keep the coat tangle-free while it is regrowing and you need to make sure that any loose undercoat is actually pulled out. This will help immensely with regrowth. Still, it will take a long time.

On Petsmart:

• What specifically did you ask for when you brought her there?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alecschanno Did they say why they shaved her? Many owners thibk their dog isn't matted but actually have dogs in such bad shape they cannot possibly be brushed out. It is painful and unheal th y so they must be shaved.

They make sun protection clothing for dogs and probably sunscreen as well. A regular shirt may work as well.

 

[r025]

@alecschanno Wow they fucked up. They couldn't even do a good job of the shaving.

I would post to /r/legaladvice.

 

[alecschanno]

@r025 Thanks I'll do this for sure. I imagine they'll offer a refund tomorrow, my wife paid when she dropped her off so it was already handled when I picked up the dog. I took her straight to the car so didn't realize the extent of the damage until I'd gotten home

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alecschanno Wow they really did fuck your shit UP. I used to be a groomer and we'd get folks come to us after Petsmart experiences like this.

It is really bad to shave those guys, but I've seen their coats grow back normal way more often than not.

 

[alecschanno]

So quick update, and thank you for all the support and kind words. My wife and I met with the manager of the PetSmart today and they have offered the following recourse to make amends:

• Refund of original grooming cost ~ $85
• 6 X nights of dog daycare/pets hotel (about a $200 equivalent)
• Lifejacket to cover back during summer/pool time ($35?)

The manager also took a copy of my pictures for training with the team, profusely apologized and assured that there hasn't been any similar incidents previously. He also made records In the internal system and recommended that if Te coat does not grow back the way that we would want/expect, to contact corporate for further action.

Overall, we are still upset with PetSmart, but feel that the solution offered by the store was adequate considering the incident. We have used their other services (pet hotel) with no issues for a few years.

They also offered to bring her back in to clean up the remainder where possible... We told them absolutely not, we will do a better job ourselves and will never be taking our dogs to them for grooming again.

Once again, thanks for the advice, I read all the feedback and was helpful in the approach we've taken. We will be very careful over the next fe months with the sun!

 

[colwyn]

@alecschanno Oh my god. I have no advice but you have my profound sympathies! What were they thinking shaving down a double coated dog??

 

[seekinghope]

@colwyn Standard poodles are double-coated yet no one bats an eyelid when they get shaved. Here's a link to a little project I did on the subject.

Tl;dr: most people don't really understand double coated-ness.

 

[colwyn]

@seekinghope Okay, I may not understand double coated-ness but surely the groomer should?

I just know that Goldens shouldn't because I own one, that's the extent of my knowledge but I think I can excused because I don't go around shaving dogs haha.

Edit: it appears that I'm wrong, pay me no heed haha, thank you to the groomers posting on this thread!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@colwyn I'm opposed to shaving most double coated dogs but if we forced our opinion on every customer that walked in the door we'd be done for. You can tell them why it may not be a good idea, you can show them photos, explain the potential outcomes, but if in the end they still want the dog shaved... well... it's either you do it or they'll find some place else that will.

 

[colwyn]

@imagebeastmarkbeast That's understandable. It's a bit of a taboo thing to do in my province but we don't really get super hot weather so I think it's also likely related to a lack of perceived need to do it.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@colwyn Michigan is pretty temperate, but some people are convinced it will prevent shedding (it won't).

We usually try and talk them into trying a deshed treatment first, or just getting a trim up, shaving the belly so they have some place cool to lay, but like I said...

People think they know what they want.

 

[anjaliz]

@colwyn Most of the shave downs we do are actually for shedding, not the dog's comfort. Husky is blowing his coat? Wife can't handle the pug's hair all over everything anymore? In they come to be shaved, as if reducing the length of the hair will stop it from falling out. And no, they really don't want the dog just brushed out and deshed, they do really want him shaved.

PS. It doesn't stop the shedding.

 

[seekinghope]

@alecschanno Wowsers! That's pretty bad. The lines visible in the coat in pic #5 are the result of poor shaving technique. You're supposed to shave in the direction of the hair growth, but they've shaved almost straight across it. Also their failure to blend in the base of the tail is such a amateur mistake, I can barely believe it.

That said, while you have every reason to be upset, you don't have any real reason to worry. The sunburn concern is generally overblown, and based on your pics I don't see any area where she is likely to burn except her belly--which is, in any case, the least likely place on a dog to ever burn.

As for advice on caring for a shaved dog, you don't have to do anything different at all. You've probably heard that shaved double-coated dogs overheat faster than fully coated dogs, but that's plainly absurd. Your dog is going to have a great summer despite what you're thinking right now. We shave, or cut short, hundreds of double-coated breeds every spring and summer so they don't suffer in the heat, and, as long as they are healthy and their skin is normal, their coats are more or less back to normal by winter.

Still though. No groomer should ever shave a dog without the owner's express permission. It's like the number one commandment for groomers. Thou shalt not shave a dog without the owner's express consent.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@seekinghope At Petsmart to shave a dog like this the owner (or whoever dropped the dog off) has to sign a waiver stating that the dog is being shaved. I'd be interested to know if the wife who dropped off the dog signed off on this.

We don't shave dogs unless we have consent.

 

[seekinghope]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I kind of suspect that the OP was not the person who dropped the dog off. The only time we've ever had any issues like this is when the husband drops the dog off and screws up the wife's instructions...

 

[anjaliz]

@seekinghope Or someone seriously misunderstands the terms 'summer cut' and 'nice and short.'