# Dog grooming isn't always about looks...



## mandi (May 13, 2009)

Someone who would let their dog go like this would, unfortunately, let their children go without proper care...how pathetic...and how wonderful Billy came to her rescue-thanks for the reminder to help where we can.


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

There was a posting on a groomer forum about a dog in worse shape than that one. The groomer even asked if the owner if she could have the dog. (She assumed they didn't care about it.) The owner told her they loved the dog and *it slept in her daughter's bed every night!* So yes, I believe people who treat their dogs that way are more likely to abuse and neglect their children.

I'm seriously considering becoming a dog groomer, but cases like this make me reconsider. People who let their dog go like that need a butt kicking and I would be very tempted to be the one who gave it to them.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Groomer's who work in vet clinics see dogs like that almost weekly... another big reason I couldn't stand it at the clinic one second longer than I did. 12 months for more than enough for me..

We had a case like that in our shop two weeks back, only ours was a shih tzu. The owner called said she was a little matted and she had never ever been matted before but her husband was ill and life had been hectic and she was a little overdue for grooming. 

I was unprepared for what walked in the door... Poor thing was one big matt all over the body and we measured it once I was able to break through it and start getting it off. It was 2 1/2 inches THICK... OMG. The sores underneath was really bad too  Nasty. Obviously all the hair came off, (at reccord speed... it took over two hours to get it done) and she looked like a little pink piglet when finished. Man though, that little piglet tail of her never stopped wagging... well at least it didn't once it was free to do so. I've never seen a tail matted into the back leg quite like hers was. I didn't think she had a tail, I just thought the matting on her rear was twice as thick. Nope, her rear end was matted, her tail was matted and those two were matted together and then covered over with an inch or so of solid as a rock matts. Awful


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## mandi (May 13, 2009)

Wow-bet it cost them a fortune to have done for all the extra time it took you to de-matt-you'd think people would maybe consider the cost of getting the mess fixed if they don't take care of things on a regular basis...I taught for 20 years, mostly young children and they came to school in dirty smelly clothes, noses running all over-the nurse had a washer&dryer so the really bad ones I could get their clothes washed-plus we always had extra clothes donated to change them-even underwear.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

*ewwwwww gross*

It always amazes me what sleeps in the bed with some people's children... Nasty!! When we get really bad dogs in that are grubby, grodey, stinky, matted, and flea infested I always say the same thing.. #$%%$%^# !! I hope this dog lives outside!! Even though of course in the florida summer I don't wish an outdoor life on any dog. I just shudder to think of a dog in that condition inside and what the house it lives in must be like !! Ewwww!


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## Jenspoo (Mar 25, 2009)

That is awful...I feel bad enough that my toy is a week off...people..no telling what was living in those matts that the kid slept with. GAG!


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## PonkiPoodles (Feb 25, 2009)

Harley_chik said:


> There was a posting on a groomer forum about a dog in worse shape than that one. The groomer even asked if the owner if she could have the dog. (She assumed they didn't care about it.) The owner told her they loved the dog and *it slept in her daughter's bed every night!* So yes, I believe people who treat their dogs that way are more likely to abuse and neglect their children.


My friend's next door neighbor have 2 cockapoos that were severely matted. Apparently this neighbor was highly upset when the local groomer told her that she is no longer willing to groom the dogs and that she thinks it's animal cruelty that the neighbor can even conceive of keeping her dogs in that condition for extended periods of time.

I sided with the groomer when my friend told me the story... (my friend’s view was – it’s only a dog, and the neighbor have been struggling with money)
Do it yourself! Or just brush it once a day..... I’m sorry... this has me all emotional... but there is no excuse on earth for anyone who loves their dog, for it too look like that!!!!
That is CRUELTY!!!! PERIOD!!!! 
PS: we are no longer friends after that discussion


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

I have to agree with you ponki, I'd have a hard time retaining a friend like that. A brush and comb cost such a tiny amount and the use of them is FREE so money isn't an excuse in my book. If you are broke and so physcialy ill you cannot get out of bed or something like that then thats one things. Broke and lazy is something else entirely.


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## frostfirestandards (Jun 18, 2009)

WOW just WOW 


A former co worker of mine said that she had had dogs come in with maggots under the matting, and one time she groomed a chow chow that had a tomato worm living in its hair. 

I havent found anything other than sores and fleas, and one time a fishhook in a cockers matted leg furnishings. 

my favorite thing is when people come in and say ohhh I want them to be fluffy and cute, and they are matted to the skin, I at that point usually take them back and show them how hard it is to get even a 7 through it. 

:sheep:


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## atlas (Nov 17, 2008)

Dogs that are that matted should have the owners be reported to the local humane society. How cruel!


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

frostfirestandards said:


> WOW just WOW
> 
> 
> A former co worker of mine said that she had had dogs come in with maggots under the matting,
> ...


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## onlypoodles4me (May 18, 2009)

Years ago when I worked in a heavy volume grooming shop we saw this kind of thing often. They would bring a cocker spaniel in once a year. Often thier story would be "fluffy got out and came back like this" You don't know how many times we heard that lie!
Once I groomed a severly matted toy poodle for my local shelter, only to have her owner come in looking for a cat, and could not understand why this little naked dog was going crazy for her. The woman didn't want the dog, but it was clear that it was her dog, by the way it was behaving. The shelter actually let her have the dog back. Nevermind she was not there to find her dog but to find a new pet!


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## spoofan (Dec 11, 2008)

onlypoodles4me said:


> Years ago when I worked in a heavy volume grooming shop we saw this kind of thing often. They would bring a cocker spaniel in once a year. Often thier story would be "fluffy got out and came back like this" You don't know how many times we heard that lie!
> Once I groomed a severly matted toy poodle for my local shelter, only to have her owner come in looking for a cat, and could not understand why this little naked dog was going crazy for her. The woman didn't want the dog, but it was clear that it was her dog, by the way it was behaving. The shelter actually let her have the dog back. Nevermind she was not there to find her dog but to find a new pet!


That is so sad.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

*Oohhh! That makes me mad!*



onlypoodles4me said:


> Years ago when I worked in a heavy volume grooming shop we saw this kind of thing often. They would bring a cocker spaniel in once a year. Often thier story would be "fluffy got out and came back like this" You don't know how many times we heard that lie!
> Once I groomed a severly matted toy poodle for my local shelter, only to have her owner come in looking for a cat, and could not understand why this little naked dog was going crazy for her. The woman didn't want the dog, but it was clear that it was her dog, by the way it was behaving. The shelter actually let her have the dog back. Nevermind she was not there to find her dog but to find a new pet!


That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard... Shame, shame, SHAME on that lady!


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## onlypoodles4me (May 18, 2009)

The worst thing was a year later the woman got a hold of me and asked if I would groom the dog again, she had not been cut since i had stripped her at the shelter. I declined. 

I have seen the maggot thing as well. Pretty gross.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

omg... that makes me angry just thinking about it. *shakes head* some people..... 

The only thing that makes me more angry/sad is the dogs that came in when I worked in the clinic who had to be groomed under sedation for their once a year strip down. I just don't understand how difficult it is to treat these aniamls in a way that would provide the needed social skills for it to not be extremely dangerous, (for the groomer) for them to be groomed. 
We had a chow in last year who's owner's couldn't even touch it. The vet clinic on the other side of town and been seeing it for years and had finaly told them that if the dog came back it would be for euthinasia - period. The dog was dangerous and could no longer be treated. The owners wanted advice on flea and tick preventative and were told about products like frontline after making it clear they could not give anything to the dog in pill form. They then got very angry that frontline would require them to touch the dog which they weren't sure they could do on a monthly bases. Arrggg! They were also very specific on the fact that the collar and leash had to be put back on the dog for them by us since they couldn't touch the dog or take hold of it's collar to clip the leash on. They had the leash slipped through the handle to make a make-shift slip lead as it was. They wanted that repeated since they wouldn't be able to unsnap it if we didn't do it their way. The refused blood work on their dog prior to sedation, which of course is always reccomended. How the techs would have drawn blood I dunno but thats not the point. They flat out lied to the reception staff stating that the blood panal had been done a month ago and everything was fine. So the dog was sedated, blow dart style since we couldn't get him back out of the kennel once we got him in there. Underneath that matted dirty grimy coat we founds fleas, ticks, open wounds, infection, maggots... the works. The owners were called and notified and REFUSED treatment of these ailments stating that he would be fine, he always was like that and after all he was just a dog and therfor not worth the 100 dollars or so they were spending just on the groom. They weren't spending one single cent more than they had to. These people rolled up in a benz for heaven sake.... With two groomer's working on him it took us two hours to get the worst of the coat off. It was awful, I felt so bad for the dog more because of his owner's lack of concern than his current condition really. After all that work and the back and forth with the uncaring owners the dog never recovered from the anesthetic most likely due to some other underlying health issues that may or may not have been detected with the blood work. It was upsetting when we wasn't waking up and wasting waking up and the owners were pissed b/c he was goingt o have to stay the night. He passed in his sleep in the night.
As upsetting and sad as that was, it was probably a blessing...  Of course we were blamed and the owner;s threatened to sue, blah blah blah.... you get the idea. All for the dog they couldn't touch and who was 'just a dog'. They were more upsett that they had spent the money to have him vacinated three months prior than they were about him actualy being gone.. Just awful.

I left the clinic shortly after that, but am told that these people are still clients. They proudly purchased another chow chow who according to the reception staff well on his way to becoming just like their old one.


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

WonderPup, that is an awful story. I can't imagine seeing a dog in that condition. To have the owners act that way is the ultimate insult. The poor thing was probably in so much pain, he didn't want to be touched. Not to mention, he was probably socialized against people the way they treated him. I think he had more attention from the staff than he had in a long time. It was a blessing to pass in his sleep.

Shame on the vet who didn't take action towards animal cruelty, or at the very minimum, not accept them as clients. Business is a matter of ethics too. I'm glad you are grooming now. 

It still sounds like you have to deal with people who don't take care of their pets. It's too bad they can't love them back. There is so much love a dog can give.


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## PonkiPoodles (Feb 25, 2009)

onlypoodles4me said:


> Years ago when I worked in a heavy volume grooming shop we saw this kind of thing often. They would bring a cocker spaniel in once a year. Often thier story would be "fluffy got out and came back like this" You don't know how many times we heard that lie!
> Once I groomed a severly matted toy poodle for my local shelter, only to have her owner come in looking for a cat, and could not understand why this little naked dog was going crazy for her. The woman didn't want the dog, but it was clear that it was her dog, by the way it was behaving. The shelter actually let her have the dog back. Nevermind she was not there to find her dog but to find a new pet!


This is extremely sad... and it just shows you the eternal loyalty animals give to their owners! Even if they are treated like dirt...:weep:


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## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

Oh honey that is NOTHING to th Cocker 
Spaniel I fostered last year for a lady who
found her during Hurricane Katrina, oh I 
wish I had pictures. The lady that took
her on wouldn't even take her to the
groomer until I kept on nagging about it. 
It took over 4 hours for the groomer to 
shave that cocker spaniel and when she 
did she also turned out to have a skin 
condition under all those matts. 

She was one happy dog after leaving 
the groomer and we placed
her in a loving home soon afterwards. 
It's sad people let dogs even get like 
this. Do not buy/adopt a dog that has
grooming needs if you are not prepared 
to take care of it.


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## Poodleroni (Apr 20, 2009)

Wow, these stories are awful! I am not going to feel the least bit sorry for my two spoiled poodles who don't like to be brushed...actually, I think Shadow does and he tries to act like he doesn't (lol) and Charlie whines


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

how can anyone do that to a dog!!!???


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