I have been a patron of Dirty Dogz for approximately 2-3 years. I was referred there when the my veterinarian's office no longer had grooming services available.
My initial visits to Dirty Dogz were relatively pleasant experiences. However, the condition of the business had begun to deteriorate over my last few visits. On June 19, I took my beloved 12-year old toy poodle for a routine grooming. The condition inside the business was pretty deplorable. The lobby was dirty and very unkept and there was a foul odor. Additionally, there was a small dog running around unrestrained (he actually dashed out the door as I was leaving and I had to chase him around to get him back inside) and there was a large bird that was just flying around in the office. Although I felt a little apprehensive about leaving him, I left him for the grooming and made up in my mind that I would not patronize this business anymore. The young man who took my information advised me that Smokey would probably be ready around 3:00 pm.
Right around 3:00, I received a phone call from DJ who proceeded to tell me that Smokey had been fussy and they had a little bit of a hard time grooming him (which was not really an uncommon statement since he never liked being groomed). She then went on to tell me that she had put him in a cage up front so he could "relax" for a little while and when she went back to check on him he was dead! I was devastated. I asked for further explanation and she proceeded to tell me that this was not uncommon for small dogs and that when she went back to check on him he had just "gone to sleep". She then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to 1) come and get him, 2) have him transported to my vet's office or 3) have her give me the name of someone that she knew that took care of "things like this".
I was hysterical and contacted my vet immediately who called to try and find out what happened. She was disturbed by their response and offered to do an examination to try and determine the cause of death. DJ insisted that my dog had been lethargic and sickly and had she been there when I dropped him off, she wouldn't have taken him. This was absolutely untrue, Smokey was perfectly fine when I dropped him off. The vet was extremely perturbed at her lack of professionalism and empathy. I opted not to have the dog examined by the vet for personal reasons, but I can say without a doubt that my dog was perfectly fine when I left him.
My children were absolutely devastated to learn that the dog that had been a part of our family was dead. I have been so devastated that I hadn't decided what I should do. However, I heard on the news the other night about another Hampton family who had patronized this establishment only to find their pet missing when they returned.
I hope that these stories continue to get publicity so that no one will suffer the consequences that my family has had to endure due to the negligence of this farce of a business.
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