Cheeky, curious, and playful — This was Po, a 10-month-old Chow Chow, who brought boundless joy to his owners' lives.
Photo via Po's owners
On Feb. 29, 2024, a driver from Grooming Gallery came to pick up Po, along with the couple's other dog, Finn for a grooming session.
The couple had entrusted Po's grooming to the shop, having been recommended by a friend who praised their services.
Included in the grooming package was transportation to and from the couple's residence.
The van was too high for Po to jump into so the couple helped put him into the vehicle.
"We did the same for all his grooming sessions," the couple said, adding that it was around 11am when the driver left their house.
They never thought it would be the last time they saw Po alive.
Picked up by the groomer
The couple told Mothership they received a call from Grooming Gallery around 12:35pm.
"They claimed Po had run off when they reached the shop but managed to catch him," the couple said.
The shop also told them Po had "some foot injuries" and would be brought to the vet.
Around 40 minutes later, the groomer called to tell them Po passed away.
The couple was shocked, as they only thought Po had minor injuries and were not informed that he was in a serious condition.
Died of heat exhaustion
The couple put down everything and rushed down to the vet.
The vet told them that Po's temperature was “so high that the thermometer couldn't measure" and believed that he died of heat exhaustion.
They also saw Po's so-called "some foot injuries" — flesh hanging from his paw pads and a missing toenail.
"So we were shocked, we were crying. We were devastated."
Seeking answers
Photo via Po's owners
After Po's funeral, the couple, recovering from their loss, are now seeking answers to what exactly happened.
The shop claimed Po bolted from the car when they arrived at the grooming shop and escaped as the leash came off.
The shop allegedly said it was the couple's own fault for not securing the leash properly and that it was not the shop's fault Po ran away.
However, the couple disputes the shop's claim, pointing out that Po had a "choker leash" on him, and it wouldn't have come off easily.
The couple recounted that the driver had "secured" Po's leash with a clip inside the van as well.
Time discrepancies
The couple also questioned why they were only informed of Po running away at 12:35 pm when the trip from their place to the grooming shop would only take 30 minutes.
The couple also remembered the vet telling them that when Po arrived around 12:45pm, there were already signs of rigour mortis — which likely suggested that Po may have been dead for quite a while.
On this, the couple said the groomer claimed that the delay was because they tried to bring Po to two different clinics before reaching the final vet — but one was closed while the other turned them away as they couldn't attend to Po immediately.
The couple went to the vet who turned the groomer down, for more information and was told the groomer had arrived at 12pm — more than 30 minutes before their call that Po ran away.
"We don't believe that the groomer was lying to us, but I feel like maybe they might have omitted certain details because the timeline doesn't fit."
Reported to AVS
The couple said they felt despair just by imagining how much Po had suffered in his final moments.
"We think it is cruel and inexcusable, and our hearts ache in pain every time we think of his last moments suffering this way," they said.
They have reported the incident to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS).
Grooming Gallery also confirmed with Mothership that they were conducting internal investigations into the case and expressed remorse at the loss of Po.
Top image via Po's owners