Groomer charged with animal cruelty
Augusta, GA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 20, 2008
County: Richmond
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Justin Monbarren
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The alleged incident happened on December 20th...the Cupid's dropped off their dog to be groomed, but when they picked Alex up, they immediately rushed him to an animal hospital.
Weighing in at a little more than 5 pounds, this Pomeranian's owners say he wouldn't hurt a fly, and can't understand how anyone may have been able to hurt Alex.
Calvin Cupid, Alex's owner: "I just took him to get a wash and a cut, you know, expecting him to come back regular, and I get him and find out that he could go blind."
When Calvin Cupid and his wife picked Alex up from PetSmart, they say this is what he looked like:
Calvin Cupid: "I looked at him, and when I looked at his eyes, they were swollen and puffy looking, and like blood vessels were poking out of his eyes." They immediately took Alex to the vet.
Calvin Cupid: "The vet told me that the only way that that could have happened was basically from strangulation."
That's when Augusta Animal Services investigators launched their own investigation...and say a witness told them everything he saw, that day.
Investigator Bruce McClure, Augusta Animal Services: "When he turned around, he observed the suspect taking what they call the grooming noose, or the grooming loop, and tightening, it in his opinion, too tight, and that the animal was then picked up by that loop and transported in the air to a kennel, and placed in that kennel."
Although the investigation is still ongoing, the Cupid's have a message for all pet owners:
Calvin Cupid: "I'm sure there could be more people that have had that happen to their animal. Just be careful, choose the right place to take your animal."
Fortunately, Alex is recovering just fine.
We called PetSmart to see if the employee was still working, but they wouldn't comment. Instead their corporate office sent us this statement:
"We take this issue seriously and are conducting a full investigation into the allegations made against our groomer. Our store in Augusta, Ga has a strong record for excellent pet care and we will continue to make pet safety our number one priority."
According to Augusta Animal Control, this is the first time that they've had any problems of this type with PetSmart. Monbarren's court date is February 19, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.
Case UpdatesThe Bolton's say, when they saw our story from Wednesday night, they were shocked, and so they called animal control investigators and shared their story.
Jamie Bolton, dog owner: "There's no telling what happened that day. It got me thinking that maybe he had something around her neck, and it slit her neck."
That's what went through Jamie Bolton's mind when she heard of the allegations against a groomer at Pet Smart where she takes her poodle-mix, Cody. She noticed something was wrong the last time Cody was there.
Bolton: "This is the morning after having been groomed and she was bleeding out of one side of her neck. And, my husband got to looking and noticed that it was a pretty deep wound and he started looking around to see if there were any other spots, and she was actually cut on the same spot on the other side of the neck, which had started bleeding, also."
The Bolton's say PetSmart gave no explanation of how it may have happened, but that the pet store paid the $40 vet bill. We have a copy of the vet records, stating Bolton's concern that Cody was cut at the groomers.
Bolton: "Not from the time that we left the groomers, to the time that we noticed, she hadn't been exposed to do anything."
Thursday, PetSmart released another statement to WJBF News Channel 6:
"In regards to the situation you're reporting on, we take any allegation of mistreatment seriously, and we investigate each complaint. While incidents such as these are rare, as we previously stated, we take this issue seriously and are conducting a full investigation into the allegations made against our groomer. Our store in Augusta, Ga has a strong record for excellent pet care and will continue to make pet safety our number one priority."
Cody's wounds have since healed, but the fear of knowing what could have happened to is something Bolton says she still worries about.
Bolton: "I think she would have eventually gotten some type of blood infection or gangrene or something because the cuts were pretty open."
We did hear from a woman who says her family has been taking their pets to Monbarren for years, and that he would never hurt any animal.
Investigators tell us more charges could be pending as these cases develop. | Source: WJBF - Feb 5, 2009
Update posted on Feb 16, 2009 - 6:17PM |
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