Residents join Simin Kashi in raising concerns about Petstock’s grooming problems
Upset about the way her dog’s injury in a grooming incident was handled, a distressed Townsville pet owner has spoken out. See what other residents had to say.
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Once a happy-go-lucky poodle, Sherlock is now skittish and afraid of strangers according to his owner, after being injured in a distressing grooming incident at a Townsville pet store.
Simin Kashi took four-year-old Sherlock to get his long and matted-fur tamed at Petstock Garbutt on August 20.
When Ms Kashi returned to the store, she noticed immediately that things weren’t right, with her dog making a “crying noise”, with blood on the floor, and “something red on his neck”.
She asked the groomer what happened, and says she was told ‘it’s just a scratch with the clipper … it’s nothing … Sherlock didn’t even feel it’, and that it had been cleaned and checked.
She said the groomer wrapped a bandage around Sherlock’s neck before it could be inspected closely before he was driven home.
Upon returning home, Ms Kashi discovered Sherlock’s deep 3cm wound, which required a trip to the vet for staples.
When she spoke with Petstock’s management, she was assured that they would refund the grooming session and cover the $92 vet bill.
After she received a legal letter from the Petstock Group saying that it would only cover the cost if the document was signed, without admission of liability, and to treat the agreement as “absolutely confidential”, Ms Kashi opted to forgo the money and warn the community.
“They sent me that letter, which is not nice, and when I read it, I got angry, my husband got angry, and my daughter got angry,” she said.
“It wasn’t about the money from the start, it was about decency, taking responsibility and being honest.
“I just wanted to stop that from happening to other people’s dogs or cats or any animals.”
She wanted to be contacted immediately when Sherlock was injured, to have transparency about the nature of the wound, and for there to be better staff training.
Her post about the incident on social media prompted several other pet owners to share their own stories.
Dinna Pagtalunan said she “was not happy with the results plus my dog was traumatised”.
Trudy Godwin also said she had bad experience at Petstock.
Nikki Platt said the business needed to improve its training after a groomer cut one of her dogs and left the other “completely bald”.
It was understood that the groomer in question followed the correct procedure by applying first aid to the wound immediately, but Petstock acknowledged the issue of timeliness regarding the notification of Ms Kashi, for which they were sorry.
A Petstock spokesman acknowledged the distress for the Kashi family as a result of the grooming incident.
“We have been in direct contact with the family to offer our sincerest apologies and to cover the associated veterinary costs,” the spokesman said.
“At Petstock, we care deeply about the wellbeing of pets and people and believe this incident does not reflect the quality and service we are committed to providing.”
A thorough review of Sherlock’s incident was underway to ensure continuous improvements in relation to Petstock’s existing procedures.
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Originally published as Residents join Simin Kashi in raising concerns about Petstock’s grooming problems
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