After 3 Hours With Groomer, Dog Dies of Heat Stroke

A Massachusetts family is devastated and desperate for answers when, just three hours after dropping their healthy, vibrant dog off to be groomed, he was critically ill from heat stroke.

Cheryl McNeil said her husband took their 7-year-old dog, Bailey, to K9 Groomers in Whitman, Massachusetts last Friday. Just 3 hours after leaving him with the groomer, they got the call that every pet parent dreads.

K9 Groomers’ owner Jennifer Balas contacted the McNeils.

“She said, you might want to come and get your dog, he’s not breathing,” McNeil told FOX25.

Balas met the McNeils with Bailey at a nearby animal hospital where veterinarians determined he was suffering from heat stroke.

“He was just gasping, gasping for air. They had towels, soaking wet towels on him, and bags of ice,” McNeil said. “The thermometer wasn’t even registering because his temperature was so high, it obviously was over 108.”

Hours later, Bailey’s organs began failing. He did not survive.

Now, the family want answers. They want to know what happened to their beloved dog, if he had access to water, if he was kept in an air conditioned room.

And, they want to urge other pet parents to be careful when choosing a groomer, to ask detailed questions, to see where their dog will be kept before, during, and after grooming.

“I don’t know what happened; we probably never will,” McNeil told FOX25. “I want justice. I want justice for my dog.”