SAFE PET GROOMING IN TUCSON, AZ

The recent investigative report by Good Morning America raises the concern that pets are at risk of harm when left at the pet groomers.  This biased coverage did a great disservice to the thousands of pet grooming professionals that have devoted their lives to the safe care of the pets in their community. Having safely groomed Tucson pets for decades as owner/operator of Transformation Pet Center, I was alarmed by the negative generalizations of this report.  Actually I am more than alarmed, I am angry and I feel invalidated, as though my 44 years of dedication to grooming and pet safety has been discounted. 

While I do not deny that accidents, sometimes tragic, do occur, on what does GMA base their statement that, “dogs being injured at groomers is a pretty significant problem”?  What are the numbers that raise something to the level of being a “pretty significant” problem?  The GMA reporter vaguely mentions “dozens of cases”.  Is that in one year or over several years?  Did GMA make an effort to estimate how many thousands of pets are groomed on an annual basis?  Several years ago, when the Yellow Pages were still the primary source of locating a groomer, I counted a total of over 80 grooming establishments in Tucson.  Some of those. like myself, are solo groomers, seeing 8-10 dogs per day. Others have 3 or more groomers and many more customers.  It would be easy to see 1,000 grooming appointments for a single day in Tucson.  What do you think it would be in Houston, Miami, Los Angeles?  I think it’s realistic to say that hundreds of thousands of pets are groomed annually by professional groomers. What percent do the “dozens” of cases of abuse and neglect identified by GMA represent of the overall services rendered?  And how do accidents at groomers compare to accidents at veterinarian facilities?

It is true that the pet grooming profession lacks licensing and regulation.  But stricter oversight would not necessarily prevent accidents or abuse. The accident that spawned this investigative report was a ShihTzu that apparently fell from a grooming table.  I don’t think that is a matter of inexperience or licensing.  The first rule in any pet grooming salon is, never leave a dog unattended on a table. And we don’t know the groomer’s side of this story.  Most groomers have had experiences with dogs squirming, slipping, or diving off the grooming table.  My own opinion of pet safety is that accidents are more likely to occur when groomers are stressed and unsupported, and when management doesn’t care.  When volume matters more than quality of service, when groomers compete with each other for commission paychecks, when team effort is lacking and groomers are overbooked, accidents and abuse are more likely to occur.  This happens because grooming establishments are afraid to charge what they need in order to slow down and do more mindful, careful grooming.

What about the PETA recommendation that pet owners either groom their own dogs or insist on staying alongside their pet during the entire grooming? Inexperienced pet owners are more likely to have accidents than professional groomers.  Every veterinarian I have known in my 44 years of grooming has had several incidents of treating pets that have been snipped, sliced, or otherwise harmed by well-intended home groomers. And need I mention the really bad haircuts?  Staying with your pet at the groomer?  Bad idea.  I don’t mind owners watching me groom other folk’s dogs, but more often than not, the presence of an owner while their dog is groomed is very distracting for the dog and greatly increases their wiggliness, resistence, or refusal to be still while I wield sharp instruments. It’s 10 times less safe.  Nonetheless, I will accommodate owners that insist on accompanying Fluffy through the process….for an extra charge, of course.  I also am happy to provide private instruction if someone wants to learn to groom their dog. 

What can pet owner’s do to insure safe treatment of their precious pets?  Talk to a prospective groomer and get a sense of their professional commitment.  Is this a temporary gig or a lifetime commitment?  Are there certificates of attendance or membership in professional organizations displayed?  Has your groomer attended a seminar or other continuing education in the past year?  Are they nationally certified and entitled to using titles such as ICMG (International Certified Master Groomer), NCMG (Nationally Certified Master Groomer), or MPS (Master Pet Stylist)?  These are advanced, national certifications that require serious work and testing.  You can also ask a prospective groomer what they would do if your dog were difficult during grooming.  Do they have a three-point support system?  That would be a system that enables flank or rear-end support as well as a neck loop and/or Groomer’s Helper support system.  Are they willing to have you help hold your pet for difficult tasks, such as toenails?  Another factor to consider is whether or not your groomer is networked with other groomers.  Considerable education occurs on social networking and email groups.  If your groomer is isolated from the profession as a whole, they may not be learning and growing, nor being influenced by their peers. 

I can’t finish talking about the GMA report on professional pet grooming without commenting on the footage of scissoring that was used in the video.  This was NOT professional trimming.  Scissoring-over-fingers scissoring is not common to pet grooming, and when it is used, it is done in a systematic, methodical manner, not the random here-and-there fashion shown in this video.  GMA, if you are going to show professional grooming, please at least share a video of professional scissoring, not this grab-and-snip technique. 

At Transformation Pet Center, Tucson, AZ., we charge a bit more, and take in fewer dogs so that we can safely and compassionately groom each dog in our care.  International Certified Master Groomer, Barbara Bird grooms each pet with the assistance of Yvonne Rodriquez.  Together they team up to provide patient, compassionate and safe service to each pet.  We charge a bit more, because we groom fewer pets to a higher standard.  Usually booked 2-3 weeks in advance, call for an appointment, or stop by to see us at work.  Grooming only Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays by appointment. 520-795-5743. 

In addition to owning TRANSFORMATION PET CENTER in Tucson, Arizona, BARBARA BIRD is author of the book Beyond Suds & Scent - Understanding Pet Shampoos & Conditioners.  She is also half of The Groom Pod, a weekly podcast for groomers. The Groom Pod can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, Facebook or www.thegroompod.com.