3 Dogs' PetSmart Deaths Prompt Pet Groomer Licensing Bill

As a Toms River man continues to await answers on the cause of death of his 8-year-old corgi, a New Jersey state senator is set to introduce a bill that would require pet groomers to undergo training and licensing.

Called "Bijou's Law," the bill originally was introduced in 2014 following the death of Bijou, a Shih-tzu who died while being groomed at PetSmart in Paramus, according to his owner, Rosemary Marchetto.

In late December, a bulldog named Scruffles, owned by Danielle DiNapoli of Lambertville, died at the PetSmart in Flemington, just days after Tara Fiet's dog Ranger died following a grooming appointment at the Flemington PetSmart.

Last week, Chuck Crawford of Toms River told Patch about his corgi, Abby, who died March 25 during a grooming appointment at the Toms River PetSmart. Abby's body is undergoing a necropsy to determine the cause of her death, Crawford said.

RELATED: Dog Dies After Grooming At Toms River PetSmart

Crawford's experience — Abby was taken to the PetSmart in Brick to be treated by a vet there, and he was called after she died and told where to pick her up, then had to go collect his other corgi, Harley, who remained at the Toms River store — prompted outrage and an outpouring of reports from Patch readers about their own experiences with PetSmart's grooming services.

Among them with Sammi Yezzo of Toms River, whose 14-year-old Bichon frise, Lulu, died Jan. 17 after passing out in the tub at the Toms River PetSmart.

PetSmart officials have offered their condolences to DiNapoli, Crawford and Yezzo, and said internal reviews were conducted "to help us better understand the timeline of events and what happened."

In Yezzo's case, the company said Lulu was suffering from breathing problems when she was brought in, a claim Yezzo says is not true.

"She was perfectly fine when we dropped her off," Yezzo said. "And they never told us she was having trouble breathing." She declined a necropsy that PetSmart had offered to pay for after hearing a description of the procedure because it would have taken three months to get an answer.

"I didn't want to put her body through that," Yezzo said.

RELATED: After Toms River Dog's PetSmart Death, Dozens Of Readers Speak Up

"Bijou died at the hands of a groomer during a routine grooming when he was only 6 years old, which prompted my push for legislative protections to ensure that all dog groomers in New Jersey are trained and licensed and know how to properly care for our pets," said Rosemary Marchetto, Bijou’s owner.

The bill initially was introduced in the Assembly in 2014 but languished in committee before expiring at the end of the legislative session.

"It is sadly far too common for us to read of dog grooming deaths in the news," said state Sen. Kip Bateman of the 16th District, who announced his plan to introduce the bill. "It’s clear that something needs to be done to improve training and oversight."

"People take their dog to the groomers with the reasonable expectation that their pets will be treated properly and returned to them clean and healthy, and not in a box," Bateman said.

Patch received more than 60 emails in the days following the publication of Crawford's experience, from nearly every state, recounting issues of pets whose nails were cut to the quick and left bleeding, pets with cuts and burns from razors, pets who had fallen from grooming tables and were injured.

Former PetSmart groomers also contacted Patch, saying the company's explanation of its training procedures was not what they had experienced.

Keshia Aliff, who said she trained at PetSmart and worked at stores in Arkansas and Tennessee but later left and opened her own business, said issues with groomers were ignored.

"When a groomer cuts a dog or has an incident they are supposed to be on probation," with retraining or being fired if there are too many incidents, she said. "I have never seen this implemented in any salon I've ever worked at."

Michael Batchelor, who said his dog Gunner was injured during a grooming appointment at a North Carolina PetSmart in January, said a Facebook page he set up to to bring awareness to the issue and to push for requirements to train and license groomers, has more than 14,000 followers and is growing daily. The group, Justice for Gunner and other Fur Babies, rented a billboard in North Carolina to draw attention to the cause.

"I am hoping we can get a national stage so we can spread the word," Batchelor said.

DiNapoli, whose group Justice for Scruffles has gained media attention in New York and Philadelphia — the Lambertville woman appeared in a segment of NBC News with Lester Holt on Monday evening and on the Today show on Tuesday, and is scheduled to appear on the Doctor Oz show on Thursday afternoon — fully supports the bill.

RELATED: Lambertville Woman Whose Dog Died At PetSmart Organizing Protest

"It is critical that pet groomers are properly trained and licensed to take care of our companion pets," DiNapoli said. "My precious beloved bulldog could have been alive today if she was in the hands of a properly trained groomer/bather."

DiNapoli has been organizing a protest for May 5 at PetSmarts across the nation, in hopes the chain will close its pet salons.

"If we’re going to regulate hair and nail salon for humans, we should do the same for our furry friends," Bateman said. "I am proud to stand in their fight for sensible oversight to ensure there aren’t any more tragedies like those of Bijou and Scruffles. ‘Bijou’s Law’ will prevent tragedies and save lives."

"I’ll do everything I can to shut down abusive pet groom places," said Crawford, Abby's owner. "Huge thanks to Bijou’s mom."

"It's way beyond time for the big box company to take responsibility for responsible pet care," he said, encouraging others to write, call and email their state legislators to get the bill passed.

Bijou (top), Abby (left) and Scruffles all died during grooming appointments at PetSmart. Their owners are pushing for legislation to ensure pet groomers are properly trained and licensed. Photos used with permission of their owners