Petco has settled out of court after a California woman said her dog was badly injured during a grooming session.
Roz Hartman immediately knew something was wrong after she picked up her daughter Hannah's 7-year-old Shih Tzu from the store in 2014.
"I said, 'Let me put him on the ground and see if he walks,' and he wouldn't walk. The leg was just dangling," Roz told KGO.
X-rays confirmed he'd suffered a dislocated hip, which then required surgery and physical therapy.
Hannah says the surgeon told her the injury was most likely caused by her dog falling off the table during the grooming session. The bill for the medical treatment was around $7,000.
"It's just been so traumatic and unimaginable," Hannah said.
The Hartmans say they're satisfied with Petco's settlement, although they will not disclose its details. The case still brings up what some see as a major issue –– no state has laws requiring groomers to be licensed. A spokeswoman for PETA spoke to ABC about the issue.
"We unfortunately hear about a lot of incidents. Some animals are strangled when they fall off of grooming tables, and some animals are abused."
A Petco code of ethics published online does cite neglect or abuse of animals as grounds for termination. But the section titled "complying with the law" relates animal safety to workplace safety only briefly, with the rest of the section dealing mostly with wage laws, accounting rules and falsifying hours.
WCBS reported a bill calling for licensing was brought to the New Jersey legislature last December by a woman whose dog was allegedly killed during a grooming accident. The bill calls for groomers to be at least 18 years old and pass an exam that would cost roughly $70 to take.
It appears the bill has not yet been passed, however.
Petco has not made a comment in regard to the Hartman case.
