A California woman is suing PETCO after her dog suffered fatal injuries from being placed in a cage dryer.
Teresa Gilland dropped her dog Sadie off for her monthly grooming appointment at the PETCO store in Fair Oaks, California —where Sadie experienced heat stroke, internal bleeding and burns after being in a cage dryer at the store. She had to be euthanized at the veterinary office later that evening because of her extreme injuries.
“I couldn’t have known,” Gilland said. “It never occurred to me that they were putting her in that kennel. It’s nothing you can see… it’s not out there for the public to see. It’s an enclosed kennel, and they blow hot air in there.”
There has been controversy about cage dryers in the past, but Gilland is the first known court case in the U.S. Since Sadie’s death three years ago, Gilland has spent two years trying to find a lawyer that would take the case, and is armed with a report from the veterinarian who treated Sadie, stating she suffered “internal burn injuries and bleeding caused by heat.”
Gilland hopes she can get cage driers banned, but said consumers should at least see a posted warning when they drop off their pet.
PETCO released the following statement in regards to Sadie’s death:
“We’ve been aware of Sadie’s story since it happened three years ago. We can’t comment on the case, as it’s currently in litigation, but it was a tragic loss and we take all issues of pet safety very seriously. Over the last few years, we’ve made a number of improvements in the grooming equipment we use and we are always seeking to improve our existing safety practices. One of those improvements is that we no longer use heat of any kind in the drying process in our grooming salons.”
I just paid $ 23.87 for an iPod 2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Pana$onic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $ 657 which only cost me $ 62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/aS0R
SPAM….Reported
SPAM….Reported
SPAM!!!!!!
SPAM!!!!!!
My English Springer Spaniel was burned by one of these, too. Petco and any other entity that uses these just proves to me that they don’t care about your animal. They are now off my list, won’t go there. How about we take the CEO of Petco and stand him in front of a huge blow dryer without relief. Unconscionable in my book.
Petco groomers are the worst! I ended up getting a refund after I picked up my three Bichons from there. They weren’t even groomed! They had barely even trimmed any hair! Then I wrote Petco and told them how horrible the service was and the girls were mean to my dogs!!!! Petco is HORRIBLE!!!
I am a dog groomer, Many years ago groomers were warned NOT to put heat dryers onto a cage with a pet inside. Many pets have died because of groomers doing this Shame on PetCo they should have known better
I am a dog groomer, Many years ago groomers were warned NOT to put heat dryers onto a cage with a pet inside. Many pets have died because of groomers doing this Shame on PetCo they should have known better
Awe. that is so sad 🙁
I think these big box grooming salons are awful…such as PetSmart & Petco. The ‘so called groomers’ haven’t even been to a proper grooming school. They have no experience and do not even know the anatomy of a dog. I’ve been a certified groomer for 13 years, and have never used cages or crates. I do ONE dog at a time, and hand dry all the dogs. It is illegal in Canada to have heat elements in any dog grooming dryers, due to, too many accidents. Sticking a dog in a cage to dry is a form of laziness and irresponsible. My heart goes out to Sadie (RIP) and her owner Teresa.
I groom dogs as well and we hand wash, and dry every clients pet. We don’t cage them either, unless the owner prefers it. The dogs get to run around the shop all day, go in and out a secured fence area in back to do their business. The dogs think of it as a big play day or special day at the spa. They are more easily groomed and relaxed, less anxiety. I love where I work, and the clients are very, very happy! Here’s too Dashing Dogs in Carrollton, VA for getting it right! 🙂
The Petco response says it all – “Over the last few years, we’ve made a number of improvements in the grooming equipment and we are always seeking…” “One of those improvements is that we no longer use heat of any kind in the drying process in our grooming salons.” which could be perceived by dog owners that, only when there were numerous complaints submitted, did the issue get seriously addressed. Questions: What is meant by ‘last few years” and when, exactly did Petco (and other groomers for that matter) ‘improve’ their grooming safety measures? How long did it take to change this, and how much effort, money, and perhaps lawsuits did it require before the actions were taken?
This happened to a collie in Kamloops, BC about a decade ago. I can’t believe this drying method is still in use — and in a HEAT WAVE???? Where’s the common sense?