Pretty sure I lost a customer today, while trying to "educate" them....
 

Ok..most of you know that I own a grooming salon. So today I have a regular customer come in with her tiny little poodle. She gives her to me, tells me she wants her regular cut and reminds me to be carefull because of her hip displaysia (sp?) I love doing this poodle because we always put her in a cute little frufru cut and she is really tiny(maybe 5lbs or so) so the cut is super cute on her. So I take care of her as usual. When the owner comes back I tell her that I notice she seems to be coming into heat. Owner gets huge smile on her face and says....oh great, I plan to breed her this time! Seriously????? So I put on my best concerned, yet nice face and say.... Are you sure that you want to do that? hip displaysia is hereditary so she would be passing it on to her puppies. plus it is really not good for her, it would probably be very painful for her to carry then deliver puppies with her condition. Not to mention it would probably worsen her condition. Owner gets all mad and hufffy with me. I say that I am sorry I didn't mean to offend her I was only concerned for her dogs health. Owner tells me that I am groomer not a Vet and if she wanted medical advice she would go to a vet. :eek: I say ok thank you have a nice day. Have any of you guys ever had a similar situation??? I was really trying to be helpful and used my friendliest voice. Do people usually get upset when you try to help "educate" them???

I am sorry that happened to you.. it is mostly people who know they are wrong who get so defensive... you did the right thing, maybe she will think about it after she has a bit of time...
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Oh yeah.

Usually when that person knows that they are making a poor decision and just don't want to be reminded of it...or have it validated.

Don't worry to much..you did do the right thing. It does not take a Vet to know right from wrong sometimes.

I am glad that you chose to stick up for the pup!! :thumbup:

I know it's harder to do than it is to say but I wouldn't worry about it. You did what was right, you were just letting her know and trying to help her out.

:eek:yOU DID THE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT THING! gOOD FOR YOU. yOU HAD THE POODLES BEST INTEREST AT HEART.:thumbdown:thumbdown:aimeeyork

I've noticed that people ALWAYS get defensive when they know they are in the wrong...noticed it too many times to count LOL. In fact, if someone gets too defensive I automatically know that deep down they know they aren't doing the right thing. So sad that she's willing to pass on hip dysplasia..people like that make me sick.

You did absolutely the right thing!!! Shame on that woman for even considering breeding her!! Hopefully, she will take in what you said and think about it and make another grooming appointment with you in a few weeks to tell you that you were right!!

UGH. I cannot stand people like this... They think "breeding" a dog is some kind of free way to get more dogs. They don't think of a dog as a responsibility.. More like a fashion statement or something.

I have a 2 year old shihtzu, my mom's friend has a male shihtzu, and the other day she said "we should breed our dogs". I was like what for? Can you take care of a pack of dogs? I know she can't. She said breed them and SELL it... I am impulsive, and burtally honest most of the time.. So I set her straight. She looked at me like I was some kind of insolent child.

I was soooooooo angry I could spit. The ignorance of people!!! And the worst thing is, they DON'T want to be educated. Or they think that the knowledge is bull****.

You did the RIGHT thing... It's admirable of you to do it. I hope the prospect of losing one or more customers will not make you zip your lips next time something like this happens.

You did the right thing....it sounds like u spoke to her respectfully and out of concern for her dog. And as for her sayin 'you're not a vet' - true, but anyone who had the knowledge you clearly have would have told her the same thing, I'm sure once she calms down she'll realise that and hopefully rethink the idea. As the old adage goes: The truth hurts (especially if its not what you want to hear!) xxx

You did the right thing. The poor baby:( I go to my groomer for a lot of questions she knows as much as my vet, with some things even more. She can tell the age of a dog and my vet can't also she can look for the beginning of trouble. So please even if you have lost this person maybe the next will need your experience.

You did the right thing! I agree, people who jump and get defensive so quickly, generally know they are doing the wrong thing!
It seems to me that it must be about money for her, because why would someone who loves their dog even risk that? That's really sad! :(

Its amazing to think that after she told you to be careful with her dog, that suddenly she doesn't like the fact you are very truthful when it hurts her feelings. You had the dogs interest at heart where it should be and she should count you as a dogs best friend. You don't need to be a vet to know that and if you are breeding dogs you need to know information like that. No one else should have to remind you of health issues that you shouldn't be breeding. You did wonderful and don't let one customer get the best of you. Keep up the good work!!!!!

You did the right thing...people hate to be reminded when they are wrong. I love my groomer...in fact, i think she knows more about dogs than my vet does. We always discuss my dogs care...and most of the time i listen to her advice!

Sounds like this woman already knew it wasn't a good idea to breed the dog and she reacted like that because she knew she was in the wrong. You only did what any responsible pet owner would have done, whether a groomer or not. There's just no accounting for some people, so you do the best you can and don't worry about it. You were very nice and she chose to get upset. I feel sorry for the poor little dog that will probably be forced to have puppies that will cause her pain and bring puppies into the world with the same problem she has. At least you tried to educate her.

I think you did the right thing, good for you for speaking up! :D

I hope she realizes that if she decides to breed that puppy, and everything goes well, well, when those puppies start showing signs of having that disease shes gonna have LOTS of unhappy new puppy owners, and shes gonna feel real crappy then....so you did the right thing! she will be sorry! :thumbdown

Friends of mine recently lost a 8 week old rat terrier/chichua (i cant spell) mix to parvo- and the breeder forgot to mention that the father was exposed to the disease a yr before...ummmm big NO NO NO! and they plan on breeding again! :eek: some people are realllll stupid

:thumbup::thumbup: Good job! Even if she was offended, maybe what you said to her will cause her to take her dog to the vet for a "second opinion" and perhaps he/she can keep her from breeding her. I am amazed at people who resent advice from people who are obviously knowledgeable. I welcome advice from people like you! Keep up the good work! :)

You tried and that's what counts. In her heart she knows she's wrong but seeing dollar signs. What you could add if they really LOVE Their puppy - they wouldn't put her life in danger. Breeding small dogs is not like regular breeding.

It makes me sick to see all these dogs are nothing more than a way to earn extra money. They should be PETS first... and for the serious breeder - well - that's another story

She was mad because you didn't say what she wanted to hear. Sometimes the truth hurts!

You absolutely did the right thing.

That just broke my heart reading..My sons golden retriever lives with us, she just turned 3 in June, and we had to take her to the vet back in May, as she was having a hard time getting up, etc. Come to find out, she has the worse case of hip dysplasia the vet had ever seen in this young of a dgo..All because of breeding 2 parents with hip dysplasia..Now we have to give pills to our retriever twice a day for the rest of her life..People need to get the money out of their eyes, and take care of the pets they have...she sounds like a real idiot

She knew you were right. That's why she got mad. She was being defensive.;)

All previous posters gave you GREAT comments. I second them ALL. :D
kUDOS to you (pats on the back) and a JOB WELL DONE !!!! :thumbup:

Thank you to everyone for your comments. I really hope she does think about what I said and reconsider breeding her. I just feel really bad for the poor little poodle. And to tell the truth the "you're not a vet" comment hurt my feelings. I can't tell you how often I get phone calls from customers for "vet" type advice.(I always remind these people that I am not a vet,BUT this is what I would do) Or how many times I have spotted problems that needed to be checked and told the owners they needed to make a vet appt. I actually had a customer tell me one time that she thought her dog may be about 3 weeks pregnant(her daughters dog had been visiting), so I very gently palpatated, felt puppies and sent her to the vet. The vet says no puppies, she's not pregnant........6 weeks later she delivers 4 cavalier king charles/yorkie mix pups. That customer still brings her dog and the puppy she kept to me. She uses a different vet now:D. Thanks again to everyone. And if that is how little that customer thinks of me, then I really don't mind loosing her business.:(

ps. the cavalier/yorkie puppy is one of the cutest puppies I have ever seen!!!

Just because she fussed at you doesn't mean she didn't hear your words. Hopefully she will think about it and maybe change her mind.

People are unbelieveable that kind of stuff makes me so mad!

I Agree & Disagree
 

First, I do think you were right to educate her and tell her what you did. But she is right that it is a Vet's whom gives such medical advice. Now I am sure a lot of you all may jump on me for saying that, but it is true. Working in the nursing field for many of years, it is somewhat similar. Nurses can't give medical advise to the patients and they only follow thru Doctor's orders of how to care for their patient with meds, dressing changes, etc. We can't even tell the patient about their X-Ray, only the Doctor can. We can't give any type of medical advise even if a patient asks. We have to consult with the Doctor. Anyways, you should of said nothing or ask, "what about the hip displasia, won't it affect the babies"~? This way you'd make her to see it in another way.

she didn't exactly give her veterinary advice though. If you know anything about hip dysplasia, it's pretty much common knowledge that it's a genetic defect and it's pretty much common sense that any additional weight is going to strain the hips.

My thoughts!
 

I agree with you, I think you did the absolute right thing in telling this lady what you did. Even as a groomer I am sure you know more about dogs than she does and I am sure the vet would also agree with you. I have my little girl yorkie Dixie and my twin daughters each have a yorkie, Teddy and Maxie and I also have two Bichons Missy and Prissy. I rely on my groomer to point out anything to me that she sees on my dogs that she is concerned about. She is very smart and has groomed dogs for years. Recently she left the place she worked for and started a business in her own home. I followed her there because I am so appreciative of the good work she does. I hope this lady does not breed this dog. Not only would it be bad because of the hip problem but I worry about the puppies. She is such a little dog anyway. If that lady cannot see that than she is really just greedy and not caring so much about her dog and what is best for her health now and in the future, let alone caring about a litter of innocent little puppies. Hope you will keep us informed if you hear anything more about this little dog. If you know the ladies vet I would give them a call and maybe they can talk some sense into this lady.:)

GOOD FOR YOU!!!! If it was hard for her to hear it, that means she knows your right!!

I am not a vet. I do not claim to be a vet. And if I am asked a medical question, I make sure the person asking knows that I am not a vet. That being said...I spend all day everyday monday-friday with my hands on a dog. I know the anatomy of a dog, I know what it should look,feel, and smell like and I know what it shouldn't look, feel and smell like. I know that when I slightly lift a poodle's hind leg to give her a "clean poodle foot" and the hip "pops" 3 times that her hip displaysia is pretty darn severe and she shouldn't be bred. Even if hip displaysia wasn't a hereditary thing that she was passing to the puppies, It would still be wrong to breed her. Hip displaysia causes severe athritis. It is getting cold which worsens arthritis not to mention the extra weight of carrying puppies, plus the actual delivery. I have athritis in my hips. I am 27yrs old and it is a condition brought on by the delivery of my daughter. On cold nights I sleep on a heating pad and still have a tremendous amount of pain. I know this poodle is already in alot of pain and having puppies would only worsen that. So I'm sorry if you think that I stepped over a line. But I feel like if a few words from me might have a chance at helping the life of another living being, that I shouldn't bite my tongue. I should speak my mind in a calm and friendly way.

Sorry
 

But to me I thought it would be similar, as in giving advise of something that the Vet would be responsible for. If the dog is only 5 lbs, I don't think it should be bred.