I took my small dog to be groomed at Petco in Seekonk, MA. Her usual groomer was not working that day, so I scheduled her with another one.
When I came to get her, the groomer passed her across the counter to me. She was obviously very upset, whimpering and wriggling. I asked what was the matter with her, and the groomer called her a "Drama Queen!"
Once we were home, my dog would not budge from the place where I put her down. Looking her over more carefully, I saw what appeared to be a huge dark bruise spread across nearly all of her tiny body's left side. I took her to a vet. Because Petco has not explained how this terrible injury happened, the doctors and surgeons treating her are forced to guess about the best way to treat the wound.
(Doctors first suspected blunt force trauma. Now most lean toward a burn, or a combination of both, given how much skin has died since.)
In the few weeks following the grooming at Petco, my dog has gone through four surgeries. She will bear the scars permanently, and I will live with enormous guilt for having put my precious companion in Petco's hands.
*That groomer is still on Petco's payroll. Petco's insurer has told me it will look into the incident to decide if Petco is liable for my medical expenses.
What bothers me even more is that I do not know what happened to my little dog, or whether this could repeat itself, perhaps with your pet.
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