Puppy Loses Ear After Petco Grooming Appointment

When a dog owner picked up her puppy from a Tennessee Petco after a grooming appointment last week, everything seemed great. Three days later, she discovered something was seriously wrong.

When Angela Weeks picked up her 5-month old puppy, Baylee, from a Chattanooga, Tennessee Petco store, she was happy to see her young pup looking absolutely adorable with a fresh haircut and sweet little bows on each ear.

Three days later, Weeks removed the bows from Baylee’s ears. That’s when she discovered that, instead of being tied to Baylee’s fur, one of the bows had been wrapped around her ear, cutting off circulation.

“She actually put the rubber band around the ear, cutting off circulation,” Weeks said. She noticed the puppy’s ear was swollen and contacted Petco.

When she took Baylee to the veterinarian, it was too late to save the puppy’s ear, and it had to be amputated. Petco agreed to pay for her care and told Weeks that the groomer responsible was no longer employed by the company.

Ultimately, Petco refunded Weeks $147 for the cost of her grooming appointment, paid $640 in veterinary bills. After Weeks took her concerns to Petco’s corporate offices, they offered a $500 settlement for the loss of Baylee’s ear.

Petco released the following statement to WTVC:

“We regret and take full responsibility for what happened to Baylee after visiting our grooming salon. At Petco, the health and safety of pets in our care is a responsibility we take very seriously.

After a thorough review of Baylee’s experience, it’s clear the groomer involved did not follow our animal care and safety policies. That groomer is no longer with Petco. As pet parents ourselves, we understand how distressing this experience has been for Baylee and her family. We’re committed to making it right and preventing this from happening again”