[News] Yorkie Dies in Freak Dryer Accident

[fasteddie]

That's just so sad...
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John Puckett unfortunately knows what it's like to lose a dog in an unexpected accident. He'd now like to ensure no one faces similar trauma.

Mr. Puckett's dog was burned to death in a freak accident involving a cage dryer at the Curry Corner pet grooming business on Gordon Avenue, diagonally opposite from his George Street residence last month.

The Oster brand cage dryer, which Curry Corner owner Nancy Simmons is sending out to be examined, spit out flaming bits of debris that ignited the fur on Mr. Puckett's Yorkshire terrier. The dryers are used to dry a dog's fur after a bath that is part of the grooming process.

"The only thing I want out of this is for those dryers to be outlawed," Mr. Puckett said. "I would like to see the dryers outlawed. I don't think they should be allowed to be used. Why can't we save one dog's life?

"We spin our wheels on things that don't matter. If one man can stop ladies from getting a cheaper drink than him, why can't we save a dog's life," Mr. Puckett said, referring to recent legislation on "Ladies Night" specials at bars.

Meanwhile, Ms. Simmons said she plans to continue to use cage dryers — but not the Oster brand that caused the dog's death. She said that in her 30 years as a dog groomer, she had never experienced such a problem with a cage dryer.

Calls by The Lawrence Ledger to Oster for comment Wednesday were not returned prior to the Ledger's deadline.

Ms. Simmons said she is plagued by memories of the accident, which occurred June 10. She said the dog had been placed inside a cage and that a dryer had been mounted outside of it to dry the dog's fur after its bath.

Ms. Simmons said she was bathing another dog in a bathtub a few feet away from the cage when she heard a noise. When she turned around, she saw that the dog was on fire. She ripped the dryer off the cage and flung it across the floor, grabbed the dog and tried to smother the flames with a damp towel.

The telephone call to Mr. Puckett, explaining the accident, was one of the hardest calls that she had ever made in her life, she said.

Police reports said the dryer was full of hair, but Ms. Simmons said she believes that the bits of fur collected in the dryer after it landed on the floor. The cage dryers are designed to prevent bits of debris from making their way into the front of the dryer, she said.

"There are no dryers on the market that are made to kill dogs," Ms. Simmons said. "Each one has its pluses and minuses. They are manufactured by people, and it malfunctioned. On this particular one, something happened."

In the wake of the accident, Ms. Simmons said she plans to send the Oster cage dryer to a factory-authorized independent shop in Phoenix, Ariz., that repairs that brand of cage dryer. She said she wants the repair shop to tear apart the machine and examine it.

"I want it to be diagnosed," Ms. Simmons said. "I want a written explanation about what would cause it to happen. The bottom line is, it's a product that malfunctioned. If a car malfunctions, they remedy the problem. It's the same thing with this industry. We put our faith in these manufacturers to (help us) do our job."

If cage dryers were outlawed, pet groomers would have to dry the dogs by hand — something that Ms. Simmons said would not be practical. It would take too much time to use a hand-held hair dryer to dry a dog's fur.

It is possible that the fur closest to the body on a dog that has a thick coat of fur would not be thoroughly dried, Ms. Simmons said. Damp fur underneath the outer layer of fur could cause problems, she added.

In the meantime, Ms. Simmons said she has undertaken a poll of pet groomers and kennels that perform the same service within a 20-mile radius of her business. She expects to have the results of that poll in about two weeks.

The survey asks respondents how they dry their clients' dogs, what brands of dryers they use and how long they have been in business, she said. It also asks whether they have experienced a product malfunction and if so, what happened and what did they do. She also is asking them whether they have a separate room where the dogs are dried after a bath.

"I am trying to educate customers that this is not the norm," Ms. Simmons said of the accident that claimed the life of Mr. Puckett's dog. "I need to show the public that what happens here (on a typical day) is the norm."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=425643&rfi=6

[Higgin's Mom]

sssssscccccaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyy........

[bettyeanne]

How horrible!!! Toto prefers to dry naturally in a big fluffy towel after her bath! She gets cold no matter how warm I try to make her and snuggles up on my lap in her nice dry little nest and doesn't even stick her nose out until about an hour later! She just naps and snuggles until she is dry to just damp and she sneaks her little nose out and looks at me as if to say "I'm ready to be brushed now"! We enjoy our "bath time" and plan it so we have plenty of time to make it fun!! If I could do all the trimming, clipping, ear plucking and other pro things I would never take her to the groomer!! But, I know my own limitations!!

[fasteddie]

Yoda only tolerates bath time because afterwards, he gets to PLAY with his towel. Oh, is her ferocious with that towel, too! He'll tug and bite hard and not let go. He's really associated "towel playtime" with baths, so he's not too fussy anymore in the tub. Pretty amazing, since we used to have to hold him down just to get him in the water.

[Higgin's Mom]

My Doodledog, Pogo, is a cheeseaholic and KNOWS that he will get a goodly sized chunk of Cabot's Cheddar after his grooming. He will NOT let you get away without giving him his cheese!

Higgins loves cheese, too, but hasn't yet associated it with bathtime. I want to give him a bath just before we leave to go camping on Monday. No sense in giving his dirty little self a bath now because his favorite playmate is arriving for the weekend in a couple of hours. Princess, my son's Chihuahua. They will play until they drop, those two pups!