Tuesday, September 25, 2018

PetSmart fires back after news report links grooming to 47 dog deaths

PetSmart is defending its reputation in light of an article linking dozens of dogs’ deaths to grooming sessions at PetSmart locations.

The investigative report by NJ.com found that 47 dogs died during or shortly after their grooming sessions at PetSmart locations spanning 14 states, though the article suggests there may be far more than were reported.

Some employees see the reporting as a “witch hunt,” but other employees describe an unsafe environment for man’s best friend.

Journalists looked at lawsuits and veterinary records, interviewed employees and spoke to pet owners. In addition to the 47 deaths, the reporting identified a lack of training for new groomers, an organizational priority of profits over safety, and payouts to keep accidents out of the headlines.

NJ.com reported:

While careful tracking of productivity measures and up-selling is common practice in many businesses, some former PetSmart employees said they’re so heavily emphasized and publicized among the staff that everything else, including safety measures, can get overshadowed.

“They say their business is all about the love of pets. Be honest,” said Janette Parker, who worked for a PetSmart in Jackson, Michigan, as a groomer before quitting in 2017 to open her own pet salon. “They work for the love of money.”

The report also quoted customers who were happy with their service.

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NJ.com wrote:

Despite the deaths and growing negative publicity on social media, the company maintains millions of loyal customers. Sue Conti, 69, of Carteret, New Jersey, said her 15-year-old Maltese, Gizmo, has been groomed its entire life at the PetSmart in nearby Woodbridge and she always has been “very pleased.”

Conti said she has heard about the pet deaths.

“He is fine when he comes out, so I don’t worry about it,” she said.

Although NJ.com identified 47 dog deaths, it could not prove that the grooming caused them.

HuffPost reported:

NJ.com said it could not determine what, if any, connection there is between the groomings and the dog deaths. Nor could it determine whether the timing of any of the deaths was coincidence.

The pets that died represented at least 25 breeds. But the news organization did find that many were brachycephalic dogs, those with short noses and flat faces that are prone to breathing problems, particularly in hot or stressful situations.

There is scant data available for creating a baseline of how many dogs die during or soon after receiving grooming.

HuffPost continued:

Little research, however, has been done on the issue, though a Brazilian study documented 94 dogs that died during grooming, bathing, and other pet services from 2004 to 2009.

Dog deaths during grooming are uncommon, Perry Habecker, a staff pathologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, told NJ.com.

"But if you talk to groomers,'' he said, "it's the biggest fear in their background.'

PetSmart vehemently denies a lack of institutional care for dogs at its facilities.

It released a statement in response to the report, which read in part:

At PetSmart, nothing is more important than the safety of the pets in our care. That is why we have set the highest grooming safety standards in the industry, and our stylists complete 800 or more hours of hands-on instruction and safety certification, working with at least 200 dogs of all breeds and sizes. In addition, stylists complete annual safety re-certification and participate in quarterly grooming safety training sessions. In 2015, PetSmart played an active role in shaping and advocating for the adoption of care standards for all pet groomers in the industry. […]

While it’s clear we have set the highest safety standards in the industry, we are always looking to improve. We recognize the responsibility we have every time a pet parent chooses PetSmart, and we want to live up to our promise of being their trusted partner every day. That's why we implemented a comprehensive action plan in February 2018 to provide pets with an even safer and more enjoyable experience in our grooming salons.

The statement goes on to counter, point by point, many of the individual cases uncovered by NJ.com, offering a different evaluation, including that PetSmart has no record of complaints or incidents for eight of the dogs cited in the report.

The company also promised to make improvements to its practices, including installing cameras in grooming areas and offering open houses to give customers more information about its services.

On social media, users warned against using PetSmart’s services:

PetSmart has also used social media to ask customers to tour its grooming areas:

What do you think of the company’s crisis response, PR Daily readers?

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