A couple of clipped canines have led to a legal case embroiling one of the nation’s largest pet store chains.
Two pet owners in Hawaii are suing Petco, alleging that groomers at the store sheared off some of their canines' body parts, according to reports.
Gladys Kapuwai said she suspected nothing at all when the family retrieved their Pomeranian-Maltese mix Dodo from the store last July. Then the family realized one of the dog's ears had been cut, according to HLN affiliate KHNL.
"Was dry blood, everything," Gladys Kapuwai was quoted as saying.
What made matters worse, according to a lawsuit filed in the case and cited by several news outlets, was that the store allegedly tried to put the pooch's piece back on. "I noticed that at home, so when I took her to the vet, the doctor had told me it looked like they tried to glue it back," she told the station.
Kapuwai's attorney, Michael Green, said it happened to his family’s pet, too. He told KHNL that when his wife took her dog to the popular pet chain for grooming it was returned injured.
"The nails are bleeding because they were cut too short, the dog was filthy and the tip of the dog's tail was cut off," Green told KHNL. He said after he complained, the store offered another free grooming. "I guess they wanted to take off other body parts," he said.
In a statement to HLN, Petco said, "We take any animal care concerns very seriously and we have a team in Hawaii actively investigating the allegations made there. Until we have completed a thorough review of the facts, it would be inappropriate for us to speculate about the claims made in this suit; but we can tell you that we have very strong standards and policies in place for the care and treatment of animals in our stores and grooming salons, and we provide training on those standards and policies for our associates."
News of the suit comes in the midst of a national pet adoption campaign for the company, which is based in San Diego, California.
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