Recent pet grooming deaths have sparked calls for new regulations, especially in dog grooming practices.
Legislation for the practice is now pending in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, ABC News reported.
Two-year-old golden retriever Colby died on May 29 of heat stroke while he was in Petco in Chesterfield County, Va. Investigations revealed that Colby was left in the dryer too long, which caused his death, according to USA Today.
A similar incident happened last year when a 17-year-old dog named Curly was "cooked to death" after groomers put him in the dryer and forgot about him. His internal temperature was still at 109 degrees Fahrenheit an hour after he died, according to ABC News.
A dog died of asphyxiation in February this year while she was in a dog grooming shop in Thornton, Colo. Jose Martinez and his family thought Honey, a Maltese, was due for some grooming two months after she gave birth to three puppies, so he took her to Spawlash Grooming for a "mommy makeover," according to 9News.
Moments later, Martinez received a call from the shop saying Honey was dead. Apparently, she fell off the grooming table. He had Honey checked by a vet, and the doctor said she was probably asphyxiated or choked to death. The groomer reportedly tied her up and left her unattended.
In the same month Honey died, another dog suffered a back injury while in the care of groomers in Crosswicks Clippers in Bordentown Township, N.J. The injury was so bad that the dog had to be euthanized, Burlington County Times reported.
When Robin Vico picked up Harley, a 10-year-old Airedale terriere, she found him on the floor, unable to stand on his own. Vico tried to have him rehabilitated, but when that didn't work, she decided to have him humanely euthanized.
Crosswicks Clippers faces four counts of animal cruelty charges, according to Burlington County Times.
Right now, there is no license issued for dog grooming businesses. Regulations also vary for each business, as there is no existing standard for grooming practices, according to ABC News.
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council collaborated with three national grooming associations to create a proposal for grooming safety standards that can be used in drafting state laws. This includes guidelines on proper handling of animals, dryers and other tools.
Details of the proposal will be announced on July 21.
"The best approach would be the implementation of uniform standards that all states could use as a metric for groomer certification," said Mike Bober, executive vice president of the pet trade's regulatory association for manufacturers, producers, groomers and retailers, according to ABC News.
"There may only be a few dozen [deaths] in a given year," Bober added. "When you compare that to the number of dogs, that's tiny, but an animal death is not insignificant or to be ignored."
