Max, a poodle and cocker spaniel mix, went to the groomer for a routine visit, but the 7-year-old rescue never came home after he was soaked in chemicals at the back of the store. The incident isn’t the first pet death at Shaggy Dog Puppies & Supplies in Shelby Township, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
Dennis and Maureen St. Clair dropped Max off at Shaggy Dog on Thursday morning, but they didn’t receive a call in the afternoon to pick him up. Concerned, Dennis drove to the shop.
"I saw the groomer, her name was Cindy, and she was coming out the back door with a dog wrapped in blankets and just soaking wet," Dennis told Fox 2. "And I looked and said, ‘Oh God, I hope it isn't my dog,’ and it was Max, foaming at the mouth."
The couple had never had any issues with the groomers before, and Max went in last week to have his coat trimmed and nails clipped.
When Dennis saw Max, the dog had chemical burns all over his body and his newly groomed fur was falling off. Dennis rushed Max to the veterinarian, where he died.
Shaggy Dog Puppies told the St. Clairs that Max had been barking too much, so they put him in a utility closet and somehow gallons of chemicals spilled. The couple was not told what chemicals were involved or why no one called them sooner.
"I can see if the dog is barking, put it in a room, fine," Dennis told Fox 2. "But with chemicals? There shouldn't be anything in that room. There's no excuse for that."
Several years ago, another dog was killed at Shaggy Dog after it was left in a cage with a hot dryer, the St. Clair’s lawyer told the news station.
The owner of Shaggy Dog offered the St. Clairs a new puppy, Fox 2 reported, and the couple has filed a police report with the goal of shutting down the business.