Two dogs are dead and one is injured after being dropped off for grooming appointments at a PetSmart location in New Jersey.
Lambertville, New Jersey resident Danielle DiNapoli said that she dropped her 8-year-old bulldog, Scruffles, off at the Flemington, New Jersey location for a grooming appointment, but just an hour later she was rushing to Flemington Veterinary Hospital where she discovered her beloved Scruffles had died.
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“I was in shock. You know, you expect to see your dog happy and healthy and groomed, and I got a dead dog,” she told NJ.com.
Following the incident, DiNapoli took to Facebook sharing her story.
“My beautiful healthy scruffles died yesterday at Pet Smart in Flemington Nj while getting a standard grooming,” she wrote in the post. “Pet smart refuses to answer any questions regarding her passing and only states it’s under investigation. We have asked to speak to the groomer and a report of what happened during her last hours on earth. They refuse to give us information.”
DiNapoli’s post was immediately flooded by comments from other dog owners with similar stories, and it was discovered that over an eight-day period, between Dec. 22 and Dec. 29, at least one other dog died and a third suffered a back injury after being taken to the Flemington PetSmart location for grooming.
“We are truly saddened by the loss of Scruffles,” PetSmart said in a statement. “While a comprehensive internal investigation is still ongoing, our initial findings indicate the associates involved followed all policies and procedures consistent with care and services provided to breeds such as bulldogs.”
The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is currently investigating Scruffles’ death and may press charges.
