Everyone needs to be very alarmed about this situation. PetSmart trains their own groomers. They hire someone off the street and do all the training themselves. In most states there are no requirements to become a groomer. Anyone can start being a groomer by getting hired by another groomer. Now the shop has to have a license to be a business but that does not put any restrictions on how they treat the animals. So when you go to a grooming shop you really need to know who you are dealing with and find out what their training and experience is. Don't ever assume that your groomer went to an accredited school because there are no real guidelines on even training a groomer.
My groomer was telling me recently that if a groomer harms your pet that there is not a lot of legal recourse for you because animals are considered "property" and not something of any value. I hope these people at least get something from their lawsuit but it is unlikely. I imagine that PetSmart has their lawyers ready for this. |