On that Saturday morning, Keinath took her 3-year-old cockapoo, Harley, to the groomer her groomer. She warned the groomer that Harley was afraid of big dogs.

Janet Keinath, who took her cockapoo, Harley, to her groomer’s in North Aurora last month, discovered he had been hurt there when she picked him up. Keinath claims the groomer underestimated the severity of her dog’s injuries.

According to Keinath, when it came time to pick up Harley after 2 p.m., the business owner told her the grooming was free. Keinath asked why, and then took a look at Harley: The dog was crying and bleeding through a bandage wrapped around his neck, she said. Keinath’s dog was mauled by a golden retriever.

“My intention is to never let a dog get hurt. It was an unforeseen accident that happened and am very sorry it happened. It’s all my fault. The dog shouldn’t have been exposed,” the owner of the grooming facility said.

The salon owner also contends that she handled the situation properly.

“The dog was coherent. He was answering me and I was dressing the wounds,” the salon owner said last week.

Keinath’s interpretation of the story is a bit different. The North Aurora woman claimed that her dog was traumatized. “He was whimpering and shaking like a leaf,” she said.

Before leaving the shop, Keinath said she demanded the grooming facility pay the medical bills. They obliged and paid $600 in expenses.

Harley was treated for at least three puncture wounds and abrasions. The dog also had a drain placed in his neck because blood had filled up in a pocket in the right side of his neck, Keinath said. Her veterinarian told her Harley could have died.

Groomer: Bite not threatening

According to the salon onwer, a golden retriever grabbed Harley by the neck suddenly, without any warning signs. “It was immediate,” she said. The salon onwer said she calmed Harley down, then applied pressure to the wound with a cold compress. She added that the dog was not “gushing” blood.

But according to Keinath, when she picked up Harley, the salon told her she needed to go to a clinic and that “she had been trying to stop the bleeding,” Keinath said.

The salon owner said Harley had already been bathed, clipped and dried before the incident, about a half-hour after Keinath dropped off the dog. She added that she continued to groom the dog after Harley was bandaged.

She admits the dog never should have come into contact with the other animal and takes full responsibility for the incident.

But Keinath wonders why the groomer didn’t call sooner.

“I don’t know what (Keinath’s) health is. I don’t know how she’s going to react. I think I made the right choice,” the salon owner responded about simply leaving a phone message.

The grooming salon also did not notify the owner of the golden retriever of the attack. Keinath asked for that owner’s number and notified the dog owner herself.

This particular grooming salon does not require customers to show proof of medical records on their pets and does not ask customers to sign an emergency waiver. Stuebinger said she only requests the name of the pet’s veterinarian. The business owner said she plans to institute an emergency release form soon.

The salon said it is the first time such an incident has happened at her establishment.

Keinath says she wants to make pet owners aware of what can happen.

“It was so traumatizing and terrible. You don’t know if your dog’s going to come home,” she said. “… Who has a voice for these dogs?”

Tips on choosing a dog groomer

• Ask your friends and family. Some of the best recommendations are through word of mouth.

• Seek certification or license. Dog groomers operating a business do not need to be licensed, but it is best to find out if they are licensed and how long they’ve been in business. Ask if they are members of professional grooming organizations.

• Visit the facility. Make sure it looks and smells clean and request a tour. You can also ask to sit alongside a groomer on services in the beginning.

• Check their record with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org

• If they ask for proof of your dog’s medical records, that is a good sign.

• Take notice and ask questions. Do they have crates, runs and kennels in the facility? How do they separate the dogs? Are dogs ever left on stations without supervision?

Sources: Dr. Karen Johnson, vice president and client advocate for Banfield Pet Hospital in Portland, Ore.; Better Business Bureau-Chicago.
Article written by Kane County Beacon, salon owner’s name omitted.