FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A Fresno dog owner says what was supposed to be a routine nail trim turned into a frightening experience after her dog was injured during a grooming visit.<\/p>\n
Hailey, a Fresno native, says she brought her dog, Cornelia, a 7-year-old rescue Shih Tzu, to Poodle Town USA in Fresno on Jan. 13 for a nail trim and paw pad cleanup.<\/p>\n
She says when she returned to pick up her dog, the groomer told her Cornelia had been cut and asked her to hold the dog so a bandage could be applied.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was kind of actually holding her out to me, like she was just, like, a random, like, dog,\u201d Hailey said. \u201cAnd was like, \u2018I cut her. Can you hold her so I can put a band aid on her?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Hailey says she was shocked and did not initially realize how serious the injury was until she got to her car.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we got in the car, I looked down and I realized that there\u2019s blood on my hand,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I was like, this is more than just, like, a little nick.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says the bandage was soaked in blood and that Cornelia cried out in pain when it was removed. Hailey says she took her dog directly to a veterinarian, where staff were concerned about the bleeding.<\/p>\n
Hailey also emphasized that she did not request or authorize any shaving of her dog\u2019s fur.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t ask for her to be shaved,\u201d she said. \u201cI just took her in for a nail trim and paw pad clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The groomer who handled Cornelia, David, confirmed to KMPH that he performed additional grooming beyond what was requested and said that decision led to the injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked me to do her dog\u2019s nails and pads. I did that,\u201d David said. \u201cShe did not ask me to shave the dog. I didn\u2019t ask her, I just did it real quick. And in the process, the dog jumped and I nicked her.\u201d<\/p>\n
A true accident, he says. <\/p>\n
David said he immediately told Hailey what happened and offered to refund her money and pay for veterinary care.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018You paid me $20, come back and get your money back and take it to the vet, and we\u2019ll pay for it,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hailey confirmed she received a refund for the grooming service and that the business paid the veterinary bill.<\/p>\n
After sharing her experience on Facebook, Hailey says other pet owners reached out to her with reviews and photos describing injuries they say their dogs got at the same business. Among them was a Yelp review from 2023 where a dog owner said their senior dog later developed an eye injury that resulted in permanent damage.<\/p>\n
When asked about negative reviews, David said the business follows up with pet owners after any accident to check on the dog\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n
David claims he reached out to Hailey to follow up on her dog, Hailey says he did not. <\/p>\n
Hailey says her goal in speaking out is to prevent similar incidents from happening to other pets.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo dog needs to be harmed at the hands of somebody else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Poodle Town USA has been operating in the Fresno community for fifty years. David became emotional while discussing the incident, and apologized.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am extremely sorry from the bottom of my heart,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t do things like that on purpose to anybody\u2019s dog.\u201d<\/p>\n