Petco groomers killed my tsi shu. They put her in the drying kennels and she got too hot. Marion Iowa

as it was stated before i'm sorry for your loss. i do not work at your petco nor do i know the groomers there.

i know one main issue with petco is the fact that the associates on the floor don't really know much about the grooming section. they need to in some way get them informed on the basics if they're going to have a grooming room.

i'm the grooming mgr at another petco and i am positive if the report you got from the vet shows in any way that petco caused harm to your baby they will try to help you with the bills left from the terrible ordeal.

it is possible that a dog put in a cage with heat could become dehydrated if they are older. i don't think i have heard of something happening to an immune system.

the few petco's that still have a heating cage have been instructed many months ago to keep it at the 'no heat' setting where it just has hair blowing and circulating. the temp can reach around 70 -75 but it's a windy type of heat. the damp air is removed so it doesn't become a sauna and the air is a strong fan blowing so it does have a cool sensation but dry.

there is nothing that can bring your puppy back but i would be glad to know that months ago all petco's (one's with and without the heating cage) were told to use the no heat setting.

and they do need to learn that if there is an emergency with a groomer the customers all need to be notifid early so they can have the option to pick up their dogs if they don't want to wait for the groomer to get back.

First of all I am sorry for what happened to your dog but what did happen? I work in a grooming salon at petco and all of our cages have room temperature air dryers. I don't even know what a "warming cage" is. We do have a "box dryer" which has heat but it is rarely used and even when it is the heat is turned completely off. I also have muzzles that can be used on shihtzus and other snub nosed dogs, they have mesh in the front and do not restrict the dogs breathing in any way. It sounds to me like there was some kind of anxiety issue going on with your dog. and by the way, most dogs do not want to come into the grooming area, especially when their owners are standing there, they of course want to be with their owners, it has nothing to do with the dog being afraid of grooming because they are being mistreated. Most of the time it's the owners that need to be crated. They usually pull stupid tricks like coming an hour early, or leaving their dog there all day, even after your shift ends. Showing up close to an hour late and expecting you to "fit them in". Calling the day before to make an appt. and then no showing the next day causing you to lose tons of money because if we don't make commission we make minimum wage. Tipping you 50 cents a dog or not at all after you spent 4 hours making their tangled mess of a pup prettier, happier and healthier. I am in it for the love of animals, a puppy kiss takes away the most evil thoughts for my bad customers.

Betsy, just because your PetSmart was run horribly does not mean that all of them are. The 3 I worked at were all awesome. There were a couple of bad apples in the 2 stores I originally worked at, as a groomer, but the last one was great. Everyone followed our safety guidelines, and we also NEVER had any customers return their dogs saying they were dirty, or that they disliked the haircut.

The Petco's, apparently, use heated dryers. PetSmart does not. They actually blow out cool air. PetSmart also DOES NOT put kennel dryers on dogs with breathing difficulties. (aka, Shihtzu's, Chihuahua's, Boston Terriers, English Bulldogs etc.) Even if it's a mutt with a short muzzle, we don't put a dryer on it. Also, those same dogs with breathing problems do not get a muzzle.

As far as Petco possibly abusing this dog, and putting cooking it to death, well, I would sue them. Simple as that. I'm sure as judge would be on your side in a case like this, given you have all the proper documentation stating that they're the reason that your dog died prematurely & you have proof that you were at that store that day.

My heart goes out to you on the loss of your pet. I can't begin to imagine your pain. I worked as a groomer for Petsmart. My reason for leaving was the way they treated me. See my article on Petsmart Baltimore. I now work for a private boarding kennel and what a differance. Our pets actually run to the door not from it, as I saw at petsmart. Sometimes when Parents pick them up they actually run back to us as if to say "I want to stay" or "god, that was fun". Our prices are less exspensive than either chain. I feel we give so much more. Please don't think all groomers are bad they are not. The chains are uneducated, poorly trained, and misstreated themselves. If I were looking for a groomer I would ask them grooming questions like whats the body temp of a dog? It 101-102 anyone that knows dogs should at least know that. I would also stand back and watch to see if the dogs that have been there before walk in or have to be dragged.
At petsmart we use to wash dogs in 83 degree water at its best and they would shiver. Yet, no one had any idea why we could'nt get them clean. We would get three or more back a day saying they were dirty. Many of my collegues openly admitted to drug use. I was even told by management that if they drug tested they would have no groomers. Guess I would have been standing alone.

What on earth is a tsi shu?

File a report with the corporate Petco office. Make lots of noise, threaten to sue, and you should at least get them to pay for some of the vet bills, if not all. You can probably find a pro-bono lawyer, if they don't. Try any local law schools.

I am sorry for your loss, though. It hurts to lose a pet, especially one as close an companionable as a dog.