How would you respond?

Word of mouth is a very powerful thing - can be used for good and bad. I probably would have said that I will advise my vet of your observations, paid her and made sure that all my friends know what happened.

Confrontation of any kind can get out of control. This way you have done nothing wrong and the fact that just 1 other person knows of the comments can lead to decreased business for her. It is always amazing to me that when others know of a problem word spreads like wildfire. You are probably not the first one that has been offended by her comments - they were unprofessional. There are better ways to seek information from a client (non confrontational).

You could always tell her what you have told us above. I am not sure that she would have heard you. however, as her words were direct and not of an inquiring tone.

As a retired behaviorist, Professional dog trainer training in any kind of aggression work & a retired Professional groomer that specialized in behavioral problems, I can see how the whole thing went. Many a time I have informed pet owners of serious problems with their dogs & they poo pawed me & didn't even have a Vet check it out.

One couple had two poodles with some really bad teeth. very very bad. They said it didn't stop them from eating & didn't get their teeth tended to. I told them I wasn't going to shave their faces any more cause it was so painful for the dogs. They accepted that but still did not have their teeth tended to.

Most dogs do not cooperate with the grooming process & it is a physical fight from the very beginning to the end. Some of those fought so hard they injured themselves. Just trying to hold a dogs foot to the table while you scissor a leg can injure a dog if it constantly fights the process.

My best guess is that your dog does not behave while being groomed & fights with all its might. & when you are working on a dog you can tell with out looking that it has bad teeth. The stench is horrid.

One man brought in a dog with a cough & when asked about he said it was nothing. It kept getting worse & worse & worse, so I closed up shop & took dog to vet after calling owner. The dog died at the Vets office.

An old lady brought her old poodle in to be groomed. She was a very good dog & cooperated like a pro, she died at her owners feet as she was paying me for the groom.

I have shaved off 3 & 4 inch think mats off dogs.

The general public is very ignorant about their pets & as protective as if it were their child. I am the same way with my dogs. But they just don't know a lot of the things they should know about their dogs.

You say it is your dog but whose is it , really? Your dog would cooperate , right? maybe not. have you ever stayed to see a dog go through the grooming process.

I encouraged owners to stay & watch, yeah, it made my job harder but owners sure learned a lot more about their dog, good & bad. I never with held any information. Many got pissed & never came back but they knew they were the reason their dog acted as it did or what ever the story.

A teacup poodle scaled a 6 foot chainlink fence & went home. I was horrified! owner just laughed & said if she had of got hit by a car, it must have been her time to go. She came back many times but I put the little dog in a kennel instead of leaving them all to visit with each other.

Because a groomer HAS to MAKE a dog behave, they often hurt themselves fighting the process.

I'd have just said something like: "Thank you for informing me of that, I will pass on what you said to my dog's veternarian who saw her not two months ago."

If the groomer asked for a repeat booking I'd have just said: "I don't think I can discuss that right now."

No point annoying them, just go elsewhere and tell all your friends to do the same.

I would call back and say, "I'm not coming back, and here's why." Then explain what you said here, in a professional way.

If this person is a decent groomer, and wants to stay in business, she needs to work on her people skills. If you tell her, you may be doing her a huge favor.

I would have been rude, because it would have made me mad and I return rude with rude.

I would have said, yeah, and now her fir looks like garbage too, and that I should have known better taking her to a person that looked in the mirror that morning who was satisfied with her own appearance... and asked to talk to the manager, and gone off!

I would have paid her for services rendered, paid her and turned and walked out the door and then proceed to inform every one I know not to go there and just give her a bad name.

told the manager or owner then tell her to go work at macdonalds were people who cant do anything right work (not pay her) and leave. :)