Man who groomed dog was unqualified

It was their first time sending their pet chihuahua to Pet Lovers Centre (PLC) for its monthly grooming.

Ms Aileen Tung, 46, and her sister, Jess, 34, stood outside the glass window of the room where the grooming was being carried out and watched four-year-old Lilo's coat being shaved.

Then they suddenly noticed panicked expressions on the faces of the groomer and his assistant. The assistant took the dog to a basin and both groomers started whispering to each other.

Ms Tung told The New Paper: "At that point, our hearts sank as we knew that something had gone wrong." The sisters rushed inside the room and were told by the assistant that their dog had had a small piece of flesh torn away from one of its ears.

Ms Tung said: "The main groomer stood quietly as the assistant told us about the accident. He did not explain how it happened at all and just advised us to bring Lilo to a vet immediately."

At the veterinary clinic, Ms Tung was told that her dog could have its ear stitched back.

However, she claimed the groomers had thrown away the torn piece of flesh.

The incident happened last Friday at Kensington Park's PLC branch.

Treating Lilo's injury cost about $270.

Ms Tung said that when she asked about the assistant groomer's qualifications, she was told that he did not have any.

PLC spokesman Loh Mun Loong confirmed that the employee who handled Ms Tung's dog is an assistant groomer who is not allowed under company rules to carry out any cutting or shaving.

"Failure to comply with this protocol amounts to misconduct," Mr Loh stressed.

He added that the assistant groomer is no longer serving at the grooming centre. PLC has also reminded its groomers about the rules and its "zero-tolerance" policy for non-compliance.

Mr Loh said PLC's chief executive, Mr David Ng, has personally apologised to Ms Tung.

She also received full compensation for Lilo's medical treatment.

Ms Tung said there should be greater awareness of safety measures which need to be adhered to during grooming procedures.

'ALARMED'

Action For Singapore Dogs president Ricky Yeo, 46, said: "Pet grooming is a booming trade and I'm alarmed at the number of grooming shops sprouting up in Singapore.

"There are many inexperienced groomers and injuries can lead to skin problems and infections."

He said there are no concrete regulations for pet groomers to follow and a person does not need a licence to be a pet groomer.

He said: "An interested individual can finish a week-long course in grooming and set up a business.

"It works on the premise that if your customers think you are good, you will continue to be in business."

However, stricter regulations are in the process of being worked out.

Mr Yeo said: "We hope we can include measures in the near future to spot groomers who are not capable and to keep responsible and sincere groomers in the industry."

Mr Edison Chen, who owns pet-services company Pet Loft, has been in the pet-grooming business for more than three years.

The 30-year-old said: "Injuries may happen once in a while during grooming, but never to such a serious extent (as in Lilo's case).

"Usually, if the dogs get aggressive during the session, groomers would simply stop and let the animals cool down and continue later." He confirmed that the dog-grooming industry is not regulated.

"It has been like this all along and it will be difficult to implement a new policy. So pet owners must be very careful about the groomers they choose," he said.

There is a Dog Groomers' Association of Singapore, which was founded in 2009 to "unite dog groomers, dog lovers and dog grooming-related businesses through membership", as well as "set recognised grooming standards in Singapore".

However, it was not available for comment yesterday as its president was in Malaysia.

melodyng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 20, 2014.
Get The New Paper for more stories.