The oddness you see being a groomer.

[MysticRealm]

So I was grooming some of the dogs I had to groom today. It wasn't a full day as things have been a bit slow lately but I did manage to have 4 dogs today (I usually do about 5-6 depending on what they get).
Well this man walks in and starts talking to my mom/front desk attendant (free labour yay, haha) as I was grooming at the time.
He is looking for a breeder of wire fox terriers. He says they have cockapoos (sigh) but he wants to change 'breeds' but his wife doesn't.
I tell him (from what little I can hear from where I groom) that there is a canadian kennel club show coming up and that he could probably find some good breeders there. He talked with my mom for a little longer then left.
About 2 hours later he walks back in with a puppy. I was thinking ok well he said he had had cocker/poos so this must be one of them.
Well turns out that he had just bought the dog from a 'pet-something' type store an hour ago!!! It was 4 months old cocker/bichon. he says we were 4 days too late otherwise we would have bought his sister too. I had to fight SO hard to keep my mouth shut from giving him a huge long speech about the horrid places they get these puppies from!
Well he wants the puppy groomed. I would loved to have said no, wait till he settles in at home but I need the business (I just started) and that puppy REAKED!! like so gross. Probably from stepping through the poo and stuff that gets stuck in the grates in the bottom of their cages.

It was just a really wierd series of events. going from looking for a wire fox terrier breeder to just buying whatever puppy was in the window of a pet store!! Then wanting it groomed same day...

 

[mrose_s]

oh god. Keep him on, see if you can educate him.
If he comes in again maybe give him some flyers or info as a welcome to him as a client?

 

[bubbatd]

Wish everyone could be a member here before buying a dog !

 

[MysticRealm]

Gosh I just couldn't beleive it. I totally thought it was one of the pups he already had since he said they had other dogs then to find out he just randomly picked it up at petland an hour ago I was shocked.

 

[SizzleDog]

Back when I was grooming, we had a sheltie come in that smelled HORRIBLE. He was fullof matted undercoat and had terrible brown teeth and we figured that's what the smell was... nope. We found out soon enogh what the smell was. We took a brush to him, to get some of the mess out of th eway before we bathed him... and his tail fell off! His matted coat had gotten wet at some point, and his rear end was home to maggots that had eaten through his tail... BLECH. Poor dog, he was a little trooper. Probably one of the worst things I've ever seen as a groomer.

 

[Renee750il]

Oh, Sizzle! How AWFUL!

Mystic, the guy probably wanted the puppy groomed simply because it did reek

 

[ihartgonzo]

Gosh, that is horrible, Sizzle. =(

I cannot imagine buying any puppy who was covered in it's own waste... ever. It seems like common sense. But, I guess people really are that stupid.

 

[verderben]

Back when I was grooming, we had a sheltie come in that smelled HORRIBLE. He was fullof matted undercoat and had terrible brown teeth and we figured that's what the smell was... nope. We found out soon enogh what the smell was. We took a brush to him, to get some of the mess out of th eway before we bathed him... and his tail fell off! His matted coat had gotten wet at some point, and his rear end was home to maggots that had eaten through his tail... BLECH. Poor dog, he was a little trooper. Probably one of the worst things I've ever seen as a groomer.

I had to shave a once a year groom newfy about 3 months ago. OMG it was horrible, and smelled soooo bad. We found maggots on him under his matted hair, and he had gapping disgusting sores all over him. I could have strangled his owner when she came back for him.

 

[anna84]

....I think I'm going to be sick, maggots in unkempt dog fur, it never even occurred to me that it would be possible for that to happen. Oh god thats disgusting, what is wrong with people.

 

[Picklepaige]

I think I would have went off on him.

 

[Sweet72947]

Those of you who groomed dogs with maggots in their fur, I do hope you reported the owners to animal control. Here we could call AC and they would come to the shop and see the dog, and then go talk to the owners after they picked the dog up.

I think one of the saddest things I saw while working the reception desk at a grooming shop was a shih tzu with a tumor on his face. His name was Valentino. The tumor was big and lumpy, and he couldn't hardly breathe (it probably obstructed his nasal pathways), and his eyes were messed up. The owner took good care of Valentino, but you could tell he was suffering a lot. He would lie there in the cage wheezing and straining to breathe, he had no quality of life whatsoever. He was eventually put down, but it should have been done a lot sooner than it was.
RIP Valentino.

 

[verderben]

We once called when we had a shih tzu with maggots in its hair and were told "we'll they are having it groomed now so there is nothing we can do" So basically unless we report it before they bring it in for grooming they can't do anything because by having it groomed they are "correcting" the situation. We DO plan on driving by the newfys owners house in the spring and calling AC though.