Mar 6, 2007 7:37 pm US/Central
Pet Grooming Co. Under Fire After Dog Dies
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
A popular Dallas based grooming company is facing allegations of mistreating dogs and not responding to client complaints. In one case, a dog died - after it got away from a groomer.
Everyday dozens of pet owners go to Dallas' Mockingbird Dog Park to let their dogs play. Most pet owners there treat their pets like children and say when something goes wrong with the animal it affects the whole family.
CBS 11 News became curious when we discovered several complaints about what's happened inside some of those purple vans you may have seen in some neighborhoods.
Sherri Chapman was getting her dog groomed for his birthday by the Pet Love Mobile Grooming Company when something went terribly wrong. "I got Buddy's tags, and his collar, and his leash and took him on out to the van and that was pretty much the last time I saw him alive," Chapman said.
According to Chapman she waited a reasonable amount of time and then, "I opened the door, and I stepped out and I asked him was he done with Buddy and he said no, my dog ran off." She found her dog around the corner half shaven and dead.
After talking to Lewisville police and animal control, Chapman called Pet Love's owner who agreed to talk with her the next day.
Pet Love owner Don Stone told CBS 11 News that after a phone conversation he changed his mind. "At 7:00 that night, I got a call from the Lewisville Police Department saying that they were investigating allegations of animal abuse in the Buddy Chapman case. At that point I felt that this was going the wrong direction and I did in fact decide not to call her back."
Chapman says she waited 30 days for a response.
Stone says his company recognizes the mistake. "It's a horrible, tragic, accident and we're clearly responsible because we lost control of the animal in her front yard."
The Better Business Bureau has given the company an unsatisfactory rating for not responding to complaints in a timely fashion.
"Unfortunately, I failed to respond within the 3 or 4 days of the deadline, and it's marked to this date as not responded to," Stone said taking responsibility for not complying.
Another inappropriate situation allegedly happened in Flower Mound. Pet owner Bob Smith told CBS 11 News, "I popped in just to kind of see how things were going, into the van just kinda looked in, and I couldn't believe I saw the woman actually strike the dog, with her hand, on the top of the head," says Smith. "I immediately opened the door and asked her to leave and took my dog back and I called in and let them know what happened and I was offered a five dollar gift certificate for the next visit."
In response to Smith's allegations Stone responded, "The only time that I recall, that I can figure, this guy got a $5 coupon is from the auto responder, and for that I apologize," he said.
Pet Love owners say this is the first time in the company's 30-year history that a dog has died in their care. Owners say they're working with the Chapman family to bring closure to their situation.
The groomer who was responsible for Buddy that day has been reprimanded, but is still on the job.
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