NORTH AURORA — Janet Keinath wishes she had been notified sooner. Better yet, she wishes she was there to see what really happened inside her groomer’s salon.
On that Saturday morning, Keinath took her 3-year-old cockapoo, Harley, to the groomer her groomer. She warned the groomer that Harley was afraid of big dogs.
Janet Keinath, who took her cockapoo, Harley, to her groomer’s in North Aurora last month, discovered he had been hurt there when she picked him up. Keinath claims the groomer underestimated the severity of her dog’s injuries.
According to Keinath, when it came time to pick up Harley after 2 p.m., the business owner told her the grooming was free. Keinath asked why, and then took a look at Harley: The dog was crying and bleeding through a bandage wrapped around his neck, she said. Keinath’s dog was mauled by a golden retriever.
“My intention is to never let a dog get hurt. It was an unforeseen accident that happened and am very sorry it happened. It’s all my fault. The dog shouldn’t have been exposed,” the owner of the grooming facility said.
The salon owner also contends that she handled the situation properly.
“The dog was coherent. He was answering me and I was dressing the wounds,” the salon owner said last week.
Keinath’s interpretation of the story is a bit different. The North Aurora woman claimed that her dog was traumatized. “He was whimpering and shaking like a leaf,” she said.
Before leaving the shop, Keinath said she demanded the grooming facility pay the medical bills. They obliged and paid $600 in expenses.
Harley was treated for at least three puncture wounds and abrasions. The dog also had a drain placed in his neck because blood had filled up in a pocket in the right side of his neck, Keinath said. Her veterinarian told her Harley could have died.
Groomer: Bite not threatening
According to the salon onwer, a golden retriever grabbed Harley by the neck suddenly, without any warning signs. “It was immediate,” she said. The salon onwer said she calmed Harley down, then applied pressure to the wound with a cold compress. She added that the dog was not “gushing” blood.
But according to Keinath, when she picked up Harley, the salon told her she needed to go to a clinic and that “she had been trying to stop the bleeding,” Keinath said.
The salon owner said Harley had already been bathed, clipped and dried before the incident, about a half-hour after Keinath dropped off the dog. She added that she continued to groom the dog after Harley was bandaged.
She admits the dog never should have come into contact with the other animal and takes full responsibility for the incident.
But Keinath wonders why the groomer didn’t call sooner.
“I don’t know what (Keinath’s) health is. I don’t know how she’s going to react. I think I made the right choice,” the salon owner responded about simply leaving a phone message.
The grooming salon also did not notify the owner of the golden retriever of the attack. Keinath asked for that owner’s number and notified the dog owner herself.
This particular grooming salon does not require customers to show proof of medical records on their pets and does not ask customers to sign an emergency waiver. Stuebinger said she only requests the name of the pet’s veterinarian. The business owner said she plans to institute an emergency release form soon.
The salon said it is the first time such an incident has happened at her establishment.
Keinath says she wants to make pet owners aware of what can happen.
“It was so traumatizing and terrible. You don’t know if your dog’s going to come home,” she said. “… Who has a voice for these dogs?”
Tips on choosing a dog groomer
• Ask your friends and family. Some of the best recommendations are through word of mouth.
• Seek certification or license. Dog groomers operating a business do not need to be licensed, but it is best to find out if they are licensed and how long they’ve been in business. Ask if they are members of professional grooming organizations.
• Visit the facility. Make sure it looks and smells clean and request a tour. You can also ask to sit alongside a groomer on services in the beginning.
• Check their record with the Better Business Bureau at
www.bbb.org• If they ask for proof of your dog’s medical records, that is a good sign.
• Take notice and ask questions. Do they have crates, runs and kennels in the facility? How do they separate the dogs? Are dogs ever left on stations without supervision?
Sources: Dr. Karen Johnson, vice president and client advocate for Banfield Pet Hospital in Portland, Ore.; Better Business Bureau-Chicago.
Article written by Kane County Beacon, salon owner’s name omitted.
Many people have strong view points about PETA and I too believe they can be very extreme about things at times. However, if it was not for them we would not know about some of the terrible animal cruelty that is happening in our world today. They have battled corporate giants and have stopped them from funding animal experiments and supporting animal cruelty! PETA has won the battle with these companies and was the voice for billions of innocent animals. Some of these companies are Coca Cola, Pepsi, JCPenny, United Airlines, College Universities and the list goes on!
A new alert that they have brought to public attention is the atrocities happening to animals at the University of Utah. Please read their story below and then click PETA’s link to petition against the University. You can be the voice of animals and help!
For more than eight months in 2009, a PETA investigator worked undercover inside the laboratories of the University of Utah (UU) in Salt Lake City and documented miserable conditions for and terrible suffering of the dogs, cats, monkeys, rats, mice, rabbits, frogs, cows, pigs, and sheep confined there.
Our investigator learned that homeless dogs and cats—obtained for a few dollars from area animal shelters through an archaic Utah state “pound-seizure” law, which requires government-funded shelters to turn animals over to laboratories that request them—were used in invasive, painful experiments and killed.
A pregnant cat pulled out of the Davis County animal shelter gave birth to eight kittens the very day she arrived at UU’s laboratories. When the kittens were just 7 days old, a chemical was injected into their brains to cause fluid to build up. After the surgery, the distressed cat—who showed great affection for her kittens before they were taken for the experiment—stopped nursing her babies, and they all died.
In other experiments, a cat named Robert, who was also bought from the Davis County animal shelter, had a hole drilled into his skull and electrodes attached to his brain, and dogs bought from a local shelter had their necks cut open so that medical devices could be implanted inside.
Undercover Investigation Reveals Cruelty and Neglect in Utah Lab
Animal cruelty is common everywhere, even in places where it’s prohibited. Although there may be laws on animal cruelty, its not highly implemented. Thus every year, there are several animals, including pets like cats and dogs, and wild animals, that are maltreated.
Animal cruelty can come in various forms. You could have observed someone physically hurting an animal. Animal cruelty can also be in the form of malnutrition when animal owners don’t feed their pets properly. Generally, what causes injury and suffering to an animal can be considered animal cruelty.
One way of fighting animal abuse is to report it as soon as it is spotted. Here are some things you can do to prevent animal cruelty.
Be Aware
Keep your eyes and ears open. Your local humane society or animal shelter wouldn’t know several instances of animal abuse without those concerned citizens who report cruelty in their neighborhood through phone calls. So, do your part and be on the look out for animals in your own neighborhood. This could be a possible indicator of neglect or abuse.
Learn to Distinguish Animal Cruelty
Signs and Symptoms – There are signs and symptoms observed in most abused animals. Watch out for wounds on the body, patches of missing hair, extremely thin and starving animals, limping and tick or flea infestations. An owner who is physically abusing an animal is abusive. Dogs left chained in the yard and without access to food and water is a neglectful act. Animals hit by a car and not taken to a veterinarian is also a neglectful act. These are all forms of animal cruelty.
Report Animal Cruelty
Know who to call when reporting animal cruelty. There are some states that have Humane Law Enforcement officers who can investigate and arrest perpetrators of animal cruelty. In some towns, you may have to call the police department or local animal control. Know who to call. Also, when reporting an incident, make sure that you provide as much information possible. The details will mean a lot to the investigating officer. Try writing down the type of cruelty you witnessed, who was involved, the date of the incident, and where it happened.
Do Some Proactive Steps to Fight Animal Cruelty
Animal cruelty is a crime. Write or call your local law enforcement departments and tell them that investigating animal cruelty should be a main concern. Fight for the passage of strong anti-cruelty laws on federal, state or local levels. Have signature petitions. Write letters to legislators. Stronger laws mean tougher penalties, and punishment for animal cruelty should be harsher! Support your local animal rescue organization or local shelter. Volunteer at animal shelters and rescue groups in your area.
Lastly, set a good example for others. You can prevent animal cruelty and it starts within you. If you are a pet owner, make sure that you always show your pets the love and care that they ought to have. Always provide food, fresh water, shelter and medical treatment if your pet is sick. Have your animals spayed or neutered. Be a responsible pet owner. And to top it off, a lot of hugs and kisses won’t hurt!
Save the animals and stop animal cruelty. Learn more how you can prevent animal cruelty in your neighborhood.
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