RI Bill To Protect Pets, Regulate Groomers Held For More Study

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi, D-Dist. 23, Warwick, said Friday he is "cautiously optimistic" a bill can be passed to regulate groomers where three Rhode Island pets have died over the past year. The stories about Ollie, the pug, who died mysteriously at the Middletown Petco while groomers trimmed his nails; Daisy, the Maltese mix, who was tied to a wall by a slip-noose leash at The Dirty Dog in Warren and choked to death when she fell off the grooming bench; and Cloudy, the cat, who died under unexplained circumstances after a bath at the University Heights Petco, have given new impetus to change the laws to better protect the pets. But House Bill 7609 has not yet made it out of committee. The measure is being held for "further study" after hearings last month, according to Shekarchi.

That doesn't mean the bill's dead, according to Jason Holt, legal counsel in majority leader Shekarchi's office. It's typical, in fact, he said.

But now is the time for people to speak up about the bill and let their lawmakers hear from them, Shekarchi said.

"Everyone wants regulation," Shekarchi said, but there's been little agreement on the details. Some want the bill to be "stronger," he said. Others want it to be weaker. And the question remains about whether the groomers should be required to obtain licenses and/or registration.

Rhode Island is not the only state grappling with the same issues. Stories about pets dying at groomers have sparked public outrage around the U.S. In 2014, New Jersey was poised to become the first state in the country to license groomers, but the bill died in committee. Unfortunately, like Rhode Island, this year New Jersey has also seen three dogs — Scruffles, Lulu and Abby — die at groomers. All died at PetSmart stores. Their deaths, plus stories of pets injured at the groomers, have caused lawmakers there to take another look at reforms.

Garden State Sen. Kip Bateman said he will reintroduce 'Bijou's Law,' which would require groomers to undergo training and be licensed. The law is named after Bijou, a 6-year-old Shih-Tzu, who died at the Paramus PetSmart back in 2013. Since then, Bijou's owner Rosemary Marchetto has been speaking out about the need to prevent these deaths.

Colorado as of 2017 appears to be the only state that requires groomers and grooming facilities to obtain licenses. The exceptions are for people who strictly trim nails, clean ears and perform other tasks.

Colorado and Connecticut have some laws on the books about the type of restraints that can be used and about the groomers' obligation not to leave a pet unattended while on a grooming bench or table. And some municipalities also have regulations.

Rhode Island's bill has drawn opposition, but the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is supporting such a bill, according to Joe Warzyca, who investigated Daisy and Ollie's deaths.

"We are very much in support of the bill. However, we have worked with the RI State Veterinarian and the RI Pet Groomers Association to make some amendments to the bill. The final language has not been made public at this time…I do not think. But the amended version is what we are hoping will get voted on and (will) pass."

The state Department of Environmental Management is also involved, spokeswoman Gail Mastrati confirmed. The Pet Groomers Association asked DEM to help with the language.

Holt said at this point each group likely has its own version of the bill, but the hope is, ultimately, an agreement can be reached and the bill passed.

The testimony has already been taken. All the stakeholders, dog owners, groomers and pet lovers, should write to Shekarchi, to the House committee (House Health, Education and Welfare) or to their own representatives about the bill, Sherkarchi said.

Related Story: 3 Dogs Petsmart Deaths Prompt Pet Groomer Licensing Bill

Here is the testimony Daisy's owner Beth Iiams gave before the committee. The RI SPCA determined the groomer has been grossly negligent and caused the dog's death. But he was allowed to stay in business.

Hello, my name is Beth Iiams. I am here today to talk about the tragic, unnecessary death of my eight-year-old Shih Tzu/ Maltese Daisy. Daisy died at Dirty Dog Pet Grooming owned by David Russell on May 31, 2017, due to this groomer' negligence. He left Daisy unattended, on a table, with a noose like collar around her neck, to allegedly go get bathwater ready. While unattended and while her brother and sister were running around the room, Daisy fell off the table and choked to death.

Facts indicate that it took two to six minutes for my girl to die this horrific away. This is not my assumption on what happened. It is what was told to me by the groomer. It was also told to me by Joe Warzycha, the Rhode Island SPCA animal cruelty officer who investigated it. The report submitted by Joe Warzycha noted that “ based upon the information provided, I believe Russell's actions were grossly negligent directly resulting in the death of Daisy.”

This man's negligence caused so much pain and agony to my family. Telling our 12-year-old daughter that Daisy, whom we had had since she was four years old, had died was the most heartbreaking thing I have ever done. Holding Daisy's lifeless body one last time before we buried her hoping that she knew how much we loved her is something we can never forget. Daisy was not our property as the law sees it. She was not a possession that is replaceable. Daisy was our family, our first family pet. The one who had slept with us for eight years always touching my hip. The one who lay in bed with me for weeks while I was mourning the death of my mother. The one who gave nothing but unconditional love, gentleness and affection. She was a member of our family that is no longer with us because her groomer did not take the steps necessary to protect her while she was under his care.

Daisy’s death was preventable. There are so many things this man could have done differently that would have prevented this tragedy from happening. I have to believe that if he were educated on safety and standards of care he would not have been so reckless with our girl.

I believe the proposed bill addressing groomer registration and safety certification is a start to addressing the urgent need of protecting our pets at a grooming facility. However I believe this bill also has to address accountability in order for it to be passed. When something needless happens at a facility, it has to be dealt with and rectified. I am not talking about a bad haircut or a true accident. I am talking about an animal being needlessly injured and/or dying at a groomer. The current law makes it impossible for people to be held accountable for such actions because it only addresses malice and recklessness. So any other animal going to this facility is in the same danger and subjected to the same negligence that Daisy endured. There needs to be some kind of review board who can review these situations and make necessary changes so it doesn’t happen again. I would think this would be welcomed. I strongly believe that no one goes into grooming wanting to injure or be responsible for the death of an animal and genuinely loves animals. After this tragic event, and the groomer, David Russell, was not charged with any criminal charges for his gross negligence resulting in Daisy’s death, the matter was dropped and nothing changed with his business. So I had nowhere else to turn to make sure this did not happen to another family’s beloved pet and no real way to let others know that this happen so they could make sure this doesn’t happen to their family. There has to be someone or a group that is dealing with this. Or change will never happen and these tragic events will continue. Daisy’s death is something my family deals with every single day.

A pet's passing is difficult for anyone. To have our Daisy die the way she did when it could have easily been prevented is probably the most difficult part of all of this. We all have to make sure as pet owners, as groomers, as human beings, that we are protecting these animals that mean so much to us. Grooming is a necessity for many pets' health and well being. We have to make sure they are safe regardless of which groomer they are going to. I completely support groomer registration and safety certification. I just want that accountability piece to be added to this bill. With that added this bill would then provide meaningful protection to those who can not protect or speak for themselves.