Editor’s note: The groomer in the Facebook video was not charged after the SPCA investigation was conducted.
Pet groomers in New Brunswick are calling on the province to better police the industry after a video showing a groomer from Riverview, N.B., allegedly abusing a dog was posted on Facebook.
Moncton dog groomer Stacey Butler said that she hasn’t been able to bring herself to watch the entire video that was posted last weekend.
“I know there is a few bad apples. But really, nobody is more upset and disgusted by that video than those of us in the grooming industry,” said Butler.
She said the industry is badly in need of policing.
In New Brunswick, there are no regulations requiring dog groomers to be certified or licenced by the province.
“Anybody can call themselves a dog groomer and start grooming people’s dogs and that’s scary,” said Butler.
But that may soon change according to the New Brunswick SPCA.
The conduct of the groomer in the Facebook video is now under investigation, according NBSPCA’S chief animal protection officer Tony Porter.
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Porter said that he can’t speak about the case directly, but added that the group is considering amending the New Brunswick SPCA Act to require that pet groomers obtain a licence and be inspected annually.
“What we are hoping to do is regulate it in such a way that groomers will be under the same regulations and conditions to be able to operate so there will be a consistence across the province with these groomers,” said Porter.
He added that groomers who don’t comply with the pet establishment regulations could have their licences revoked.
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Animal Rights activist, Wendy Hallihan, representing the group Mission Pawsible applauds the move. But said there also needs to be proper enforcement of those regulations by the NBSCPA and stricter animal abuse laws in the province.
“Manpower I would definitely say is needed. There is so much cruelty, so many court cases and there are more and more people coming forth due to social media,” said Hallihan.
Hallihan said she believes the Riverview groomer should be not only charged by the NBSPCA, but also criminally charged.
While the case is still under investigation by the NBSPCA, Butler said that she isn’t convinced that the groomer in the video will face charges of any kind, despite public outcry.
“I see all of these comments online I hope that she does jail time. Chances are the NBSPCA will do nothing. I don’t think they will even consider it abuse to be honest.”
She said the need for tougher animal abuse laws and regulations for groomers can’t happen soon enough to protect pets and reputable groomers.