Dog Groomer Was Called A "Dog Racist" By A Customer Who Refused To Accept That The Groomer Does Not Want To Shave Her Malinois Dog's Fur

She has been trying to convince them to shave her dog since March and refuses to take no for an answer

Chelsi

• Published in Animal Stories
• October 1, 2022

Groomers do not get a lot of credit for their hard work. Yes, dogs are wonderful but bathing and grooming them takes a lot of effort and bravery.

Can you imagine working with dogs you are not familiar with every single day? Some dogs can be aggressive and that makes the groomer's job a lot more difficult and extremely risky.

They basically have to gamble getting barked at, scratched, and bitten every time they deal with a dog. On top of that, you have to factor in the dog's owner.

Retail workers have warned us time and again that dealing with people every day is the worst. Dog owners are not joking around when it comes to their pets.

There are those who are very particular with their pets and there are those that can't be bothered. Both can be hell to deal with.

This groomer's assistant was no newbie when it comes to dealing with particularly difficult dog owners. There was a memorable interaction she had with one recently.

This lady came in with her mixed Malinois-Husky dog and asked the groomer to shave its fur. OP informed the dog owner that they cannot shave her dog because doing so would be detrimental to the dog's skin and health.

This interaction happened in March and the dog owner is still calling OP to convince them to shave her dog

The dog owner even employed the help of her mother to sway the groomer to change their mind

OP kept explaining that they have a policy not to shave dogs like hers and the groomer simply wouldn't want to deal with this particular breed due to previous unsafe experiences

The lady promised to muzzle her dog but when that failed to convince OP and her boss, the belligerent dog owner called OP of being a "dog racist" instead

It seemed like the lady finally understood after OP explained their policy one more time

OP added later on that she was confused why the lady was so adamant to have her dog groomed at their company and why she was taken aback when the lady accused her of being a "dog racist"

All was not well because the dog owner eventually posted a 1-star review on Yelp, saying she was outraged that their business won't cater to all dog breeds

OP obviously followed this advice when she responded to the customer's one-star review

She explained why she was so daunted by the negative review

If OP handled the review professionally, it could be an opportunity to show potential customers that they run a safe business

OP has nothing to fear because they did nothing wrong

Another person who works in the same industry said that OP did the right thing

They did wonder if the dog owner's desperation to have her dog groomed at OP's business stemmed from being banned from the other grooming services in their area

Also, "dog racism" isn't a thing. It's ridiculous to compare being turned away from a dog grooming place to racism. It literally doesn't make sense.

Apparently, OP's customer wanted her dog to be shaved because its fur makes her "sick"

OP can employ this approach the next time (because there will be a next time) she deals with a difficult dog owner

OP's girlfriend was way off base when she said that what they did was akin to restaurants refusing to sit people because of their skin color. It's gross to equate racism to whatever this is.

OP and their business have nothing to worry about. OP deserves a lot of credit for not snapping at the customer and handling the negative review professionally.

Chelsi