Okay, let's try again!-So Upset!

[Beanermom]

Sorry I messed up my post! I guess that's how upset I am. Here is the whole thing...

I just got off the phone with a relatively long time client. I groom her shih tzu every 4-5 weeks, a real nice dog and a funny older lady. Well, she called last week to make his next appointment, which was set for tomorrow. Then, today, I get a message from her- 'I need to talk to you before tomorrow.' Okay, no worries, right? Wrong! She answers the phone without even saying hello (caller ID?) and says 'I need to know what happened the last time you groomed Patch." 'Ummm- nothing?' I answer, totally confused. The next thing I know she is blaming me for hurting his back leg and cutting his penis- a month ago! (and quickly the story goes from 2 little cuts to cutting the whole tip of the penis off. As if!) I am just blind sided. I did not hurt that dog. I would NEVER send an injured dog home without telling the owner/apologising profusely/offering to pay a vet bill! I explained that to her. But she went on about how the whole thing has gotten worse and worse and now she is cancelling her appointment so she can take him to the vet. What?! Why the heck didn't she tell me about this 'the instant' she got home a month ago? (Which is when she said the problem started) Why didn't she tell me about this a week ago, when she called to make his next appointment? I am sick to my stomach. I hate this. And I am now afraid she is going to start badmouthing me to other people in her condo, where I groom many dogs. I need a hug. =(

[Cat Crazy]

Sending a giant hug your way.

<<< HUG >>>

Very strange indeed! Hope it all works out okay for you and the little doggie.

[petloverx]

Is she

funny funny or "funny" funny?? Hugs your way. Hang in there.

[Dog Daze]

Do you have a written policy for clients to see and/or sign that says all problems related to grooming must be reported within 48 hours. Then too bad if they call a month or two later and who the heck would wait a month to have their dog treated if the end of his penis was cut off?

Ridiculous the dog obviously developed an unrelated problem for which she is trying to con you into paying the bill for and get a free groom. Why on earth would she have made an appointment otherwise.

Scam artist. Snooze you lose. I hated when people did that at a place I worked two months later WTF is wrong with people.

[odette]

<<<<HUG>>>> If you know who the vet is definatley call, sounds like the beginig of dementia, or something. A ladt flipped on me and it was the begining ofalzhiemers.

[bulldogmom]

Where is her common sense? Yeah, you cut the whole tip of his penis off and somehow it didn't bleed or become an issue for a whole month. These kinds of clients/situations are going to happen, but they always suck when they do because it's hard to defend yourself against something that outrageous. I don't think your other condo clients will be fazed. I'm sure they've witnessed Fluffy regularly using his healthy penis to go potty and running around outside on his "hurt leg" on a daily basis for the past month.

[Plexi]

AAAww, I'm sorry you have a crazy customer, it makes grooming life hard when you are accused of all bad things done to the dog.
I was accused of a customer's dog getting kennel cough....even though the dog hasn't been here for two &half weeks...then she did call me back and tell me it wasn't kennel cough after all, the vet made a mistake as the dog as an enlarge heart, thanks for all the guilt she put on me.

[borzoimom]

She is accusing you of causing such a horrible injury and she hasn't even taken the dog to a vet yet?! We can hope that the vet she goes to is good enoughbe able to tell two things, #1 that the injury is not a month old injury and #2 that the penis tip was not cut off. Just guessing here, but I would think that if she thinks the tip was cut off it is because the penis tip is inflammed and irritated. This can be caused from a bladder infection, self inflicted , etc. The best thing you could do is talk to the vet if you can, but after that just go on as if nothing happened when dealing with your other clients. You don't need to be deny something to your other clients when nothing ever happened that involved you with that dog.

[ferretlov]

You have all of her vet information , call the vet and ask him how the dog got that injury or infection,sounds like just and infection to me.

[Jenneversage64]

Often when a dog has a bladder infection

you don't know it until you see blood on the tree he pees on.Maybe he had blood and she thought it was cut. (and it took a month before the blood shows up from the cut?) How often if ever does anyone examine a dogs' penis to know what it is supposed to look like. I've never seen my male s dogs' as they are neutered. Some elderly really can try your patience can't they? Poor, dog, must be hurting, but not from anything you did. I hope when she finds out the truth she apologizes to you profusely.

[sheilabgroomer]

How long has she been a client? Sounds like she has been a good, regular one so something is definately off. With you mentioning that she is "older", I agree w/the others who wonder about her mental facilities. She might be suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimers or such.

I would definately try to talk to the vet about this and possibly (hard as it will be), try to reason w/her again to make her see that you didn't do this to her dog.

[PuppyFluffer]

I agree with everyone else. It occurred to me, though.....is it possible that maybe (for whatever reason) she got a good close look at her dog's (or any dog's) penis for the first time and realized that not only does it NOT look like a human penis, but that it was a lot redder, too? Considering how many elderly lady clients I have that simply cannot bring themselves to use the proper terminology for their young man's "red rocket" it wouldn't surprise me if she had never really gotten up close and personal before now.

Just a thought...

[LonestarPoodle]

How often if ever does anyone examine a dogs' penis to know what it is supposed to look like.

LOL umm.. *raises hand* I get very strange looks from my husband too. =X Can't help it though. When my boys lay on their back and get belly rubs, its right there. So on occassion I will get a closer look and feel around the gentials for lumps, bumps, etc. I blame it on my past as a vet asst. I'm really not some sort of sicko. I swear!

to Beanermom, I'm terribly sorry you have deal with this.

[kdickerson]

ugh clients can be so crazy sometimes! They misunderstand, or are uneducated, and the next thing you know they are upset that you cut off their pom's 2nd set of ears!!

My hair dresser told me yesterday that they had a client say that a girl at their shop cut (yes, with shears) her eyeball!!! she even made up a story about how the stylist then gave her an icepack. The client didn't want the girl to get in trouble, so she got her hair done a few more times by her since then. She wasn't mad or anything, she just wanted the boss to know. lol.

Crazies! Update us on how talking to her goes. Good luck!