HAWAII -- Two Oahu women have filed a lawsuit against Petco, claiming their dogs had parts of their bodies cut off while being groomed at the Kaneohe store.
Three-year-old Gilzale and Pomeranian-Maltese mix Dodo are the best of friends. The little girl was crushed when the dog was injured.
Her grandmother, Gladys Kapuwai, says she took Dodo to Petco in Kaneohe for grooming last July and, a couple of days later, realized one of her ears had been cut.
"Was dried, bloody, was dry blood, everything," Kapuwai said. "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."
The lawsuit alleges that Petco attempted to reattach, glue or sew the ear back on, and failed to disclose what happened when Kapuwai picked the dog up.
"I couldn't believe what they did," Kapuwai said. "I started crying because this is our baby, too, you know."
The civil complaint alleges that a similar incident happened with Attorney Michael Green's pet. Green's wife is also listed as a plaintiff.
"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 said. "They didn't seem, the people at Petco didn't seem overly concerned about that."
He says the pet store chain's negligence caused serious emotional distress.
"My dog, they offered another free grooming," Green said. "I guess they wanted to take off other body parts."
Petco Kaneohe referred us to its local public relations representative, who did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Kapuwai hopes the lawsuit will lead to more training for the pet stylists. She says the staff should have come clean about Dodo's injury sooner.
"Even the doctor said they could have saved her ear if they told me right there, but they didn't," Kapuwai said.
(Hawaii News Now - Feb 13, 2012)
