SINGAPORE: A pet grooming company got into hot water after one of its employees left a dog named Latte unattended during a livestream. Unfortunately, Latte was wet and cold, and her discomfort could be clearly seen.
Jason Lim Lim shared videos of Latte on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Friday (Nov 29), which showed Latte barking, whining, and crying while she shivered from the cold.
Commenters on TikTok Live were alarmed about the dog’s condition and even tried to call the attention of Pawky Pawly, the pet grooming company in question.
Mr Lim, clearly angered, wrote that Latte had been left unattended for 18 minutes. He asked how all other “pawrents” would feel if Latte were their dog.
The Bedok-based company, however, has since issued an apology on its Facebook page.
The owner of Pawky Pawly, Zack, addressed customers, members of the public, and the fur parent of Latte.
He wrote that he and the groomer responsible for the incident “take full responsibility for the carelessness and negligence in handling the situation.”
Zack also wrote that Latte’s first grooming session with Pawky Pawly “should have been a positive and comfortable experience, and we are truly sorry for falling short of the standard of care she deserved.”
While saying that the groomer had been at fault for her negligence, Zack also admitted to being at fault in the matter due to his failure to notice that his company lacked manpower.
Had another assistant been present, the incident with Latte would not have occurred.
“As a new start-up shop, even with promotional prices, our shop is usually vacant, and appointments were not fully booked. As such, I didn’t think of hiring an assistant yet,” Zack added.
He also wrote that to promote transparency in letting people know how their fur babies are doing while they’re being groomed, Pawky Pawly had begun to use TikTok Live, sending pet keepers the link to the stream.
Zack also apologized for not obtaining permission from Latte’s fur parents before going live.
The reason Latte had been left unattended for so long was because the handover of the dog who had just gotten groomed took longer than expected, as that dog’s keeper had questions.
According to Zack, the groomer was “only a few steps away from Latte,” though he added that the situation would have been avoided if another assistant had been present.
“This experience has been a humbling and important lesson. I am taking this incident very seriously and will implement measures to ensure such lapses do not happen again,” he wrote, adding an appeal for the public not to hate the groomer.
He added that she has been in the business for nearly a decade and loves pets unconditionally.
The Independent Singapore has contacted Mr Lim and the pet grooming company for further comments or updates. /TISG
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