Are all abused pets in puppy mills?

I have just been looking at many posts on Facebook and Yahoo grooming groups from groomers Australia wide and I am very angry.

There is photo after photo of horrendously matted dogs and cats that groomers have had to do “whatever it takes” to get the matted coats of these animals removed. I can hear you all saying “oh those poor dogs they must have come from puppy mills”

BUT

These dogs have not come from puppy mills they are owned by people who let them get into horrendous messes and then front up to a groomer hand over the dogs and say “please fix this” and sadly groomers can fix it and do, but at what cost to the animal.

Please don’t get me wrong I am not having a go at groomers, this is a very clear swipe at pet owners who think it is OK to buy an animal that needs far more day to day maintenance than they are prepared to give.  To make matters worse every groomer can tell you stories of owners who present time and time again with the animals in EXACTLY this same condition six or twelve months later. I am one of those groomers. After thirteen years professionally grooming I now have zero tolerance for owners who give me all the excuses under the sun as to why their dog is a matted, sometimes poo infested mess. They know I can and do make their dogs better and that if they present the dog back to me in the same state up to one, two or even three years (I kid you not) later I will still be able be able to fix their problem.

THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN THIS MODERN SOCIETY

It is time for pet owners to take responsibility for the care of the animals they own and to be prepared for the amount of grooming that many breeds require.  It is not OK for dogs to be kept in puppy mills and not be given adequate grooming and it is equally not OK for dogs to be owned by people and also to be allowed to get into horribly matted messes that take hours and considerable “manhandling” by groomers to fix. Yes we can fix it and yes we normally do so at far less charge than we should be charging but that doesn’t make it OK.

Pet owners of Australia you need to be responsible for the day to day care of your animals and to think long and hard before you get your next pet.

To those wonderful owners who present dogs to us that are beautifully groomed and cared for thank you so much you have no idea how grateful your groomer and your pet are. We wish every owner was like you.

To the groomers out there who day to day fix this problem at far less payment than they should charge – The pets thank you. If you would like to send me pictures of some of your worst cases of dogs that have been owned by people and been neglected please email them to me. It is time to life the lid on what we see behind closed doors.