A Butler County family is calling for an investigation into the death of their 3-year-old dog Lucy at a local dog grooming business.
Becky Bradshaw told our media partner WCPO 9 On Your Side in Cincinnati that she took her healthy pet on Tuesday to Ruff 2 Fluff on Ohio 4, where her dog suffered an apparent injury and died.
Bradshaw said she was told the dog fell off the grooming table when the groomer turned around.
Karen Eikens, one of the Ruff 2 Fluff owners, told WCPO that she performed CPR on Lucy and tried to save the dog's life.
"I am really sorry this happened. It was an accident and we did everything that we could to try to revive her," said Eikens in a statement released Wednesday.
Bradshaw said she is not ready to accept that Lucy died as a result of an accident.
"Why would you turn your back for one second when you know that a dog could slip off that table?" Bradshaw said. "We all love our animals. You have to treat them like a child you're putting in daycare."
She took her dog's body to Animal Friends Humane Society in Hamilton. Bradshaw said the county animal shelter took X-rays but coudn't determine what happened. Now, Bradsaw said she is awaiting results of a necropsy (animal autopsy).
The dog's death is the second that may be linked to the Hamilton-Middletown Road business. In November 2012, another pet died after its owner said she took the dog to an appointment at the same groomer.
Leslie Preston of Fairfield Twp. said her 5-year-old poodle Everete suffered a "sub-acute" internal injury that was "more than likely the result of either being hung or choked," according to a necropsy performed by Ohio State University. Preston said she was told by grooming staff her dog was being skittish and not cooperating, but that he seemed to calm down after they put a muzzle on him. She said her dog's condition seemed to deteriorate following his appointment, that his breathing later became raspy and he wouldn't eat or drink. The next day, she took the dog to a veterinary clinic where that night he went into cardiac arrest and couldn't be saved, she said.
Eikens told WCPO the two cases are "100 percent different."
At the time of the incident, Eikens released a statement saying she was saddened to hear what happened, but "there were no signs of any problems" when Everete left the business. "We don't know what may have happened to Everete after he left our care," said Eikens in the statement.
