Pet groomer found using cable ties to muzzle dogs, shop owner apologises & says she's closing business

A dog owner was shocked when she picked up her pup from the groomer and saw it had been muzzled using a cable tie.

Taking to Facebook to share her experience on Jun. 29, Lim Zhiyi warned others of her experience at First Class Pets at Jalan Jurong Kechil.

"I'm sharing this so that pet owners who live in the west or Bukit Timah area can be aware of where you send your pets for grooming," Lim wrote.

Cable tie

Lim stated that she went early to pick up her dog when she saw her dog muzzled with what appeared to be a cable tie.

She probed the owner, Kim, who admitted that the dog had in fact been muzzled with a cable tie.

Lim shared a picture of her dog's snout, noting a deep mark and commenting that this proved "how tight and uncomfortable" it must have been for her dog.

Kim told Lim that her dog had a high tendency to bite and had to be muzzled.

Lim said that she understood, but pointed out that a proper muzzling tool was not used, and took issue with the fact that she was not informed of such a practice until questioned.

Kim also showed Lim a video of the cable ties used on other dogs.

The shop's owner mentioned that they had tried different methods to muzzle the dogs but found the cable tie method worked best for them and apparently said that "nothing can change what happened".

In her post, Lim questioned why the groomers seemed to be prioritising their own interests over the pets' needs.

"Aren't professional groomers supposed to have relevant skills to handle pets properly and do what is best for the pets instead of what is best for themselves?"

"The method that works best for your pet shop does not mean it works for pet owners, whom definitely have the rights to know what their pets are getting subjected to in advance," Lim added.

In the comments, Lim said that she had been with First Class Pets since 2018 and had no issues with Kim.

First Class Pets' response

The owner of First Class Pets, Kimberlyn Khoo, apologised on Facebook on Jun. 30 and addressed the incident. The statement was also posted on the shop's Instagram page.

Khoo said she would like to "sincerely apologise to the public for this incident".

Khoo wrote that she was not the groomer who used the cable tie on the pup and only found out about it after Lim questioned her.

The groomer's explanation, according to Khoo, was that the cable tie was not a "regular one" as it had a quick release, and that the dog could still pant while wearing it.

"I have reprimand[ed] said groomer not to use such methods, if the dog is too difficult due to its aggression, we could call the owner to notify her that we will not be able to groom," Khoo wrote.

Khoo went on to share that she made another mistake in trying to explain the situation to Lim using the video of the other dog.

"It was also my fault to blabber an explanation during our conversation to protect my groomer. It was never a standard practice to use a cable tie, we use regular muzzle on aggressive dogs."

Khoo concluded she was not justifying their actions and understood that the incident was "completely our fault for making very bad decisions".

Khoo has since apologised to Lim and announced that she would take full responsibility for the incident by shutting down First Class Pets to "work on ourselves to be better and do better".

On Instagram, First Class Pets also said it would be contacting existing customers who have packages with them.

Top photos via Lim Zhiyi/Facebook & First Class Pets/Instagram