[PennysMum]

I work at an animal hospital, and the number of grooming-related mishaps we see and hear about coming out of other grooming facilities is sobering. The worst was a yorkie who burned to death when its groomer attached a dryer to its carrier and left it unattended only to have the dryer catch fire. We see a lots of diseases too that were most likely contracted at grooming facilities that don't thoroughly check out vaccination histories, dogs who seizure because they are so stressed by grooming, skin infections that can be contracted if grooming instruments aren't properly sterilized, nicks and cuts...

To be honest, I don't know that I'd be comfortable leaving my dog with a groomer except that I know mine and her assistants very well-- they work right down the hall from me. If I ever move away or change careers, I'll probably try to find an animal hospital that does grooming; at least then, you know that standards of cleanliness are likely to be high, vaccinations are taken seriously, and a veterinarian is close by in case anything goes wrong.