Dog owner calls for grooming industry crackdown after her 'traumatised' pet was sliced across his body with the 'wrong' clippers

Tim, a two-year-old Pomeranian, suffered a three-inch gash across his body Owner Maria Stableford  has set up a petition calling for industry regulationHave you suffered a similar experience? Email [email protected] 

A horrified dog owner whose pet suffered a three-inch gash at the groomers, because his fur was trimmed with clippers meant for a larger dog, is calling for the industry to be regulated.

Maria Stableford's two-year-old Pomeranian Tim was having his fur trimmed when he was sliced across his body, leaving him 'traumatised' and needing to be rushed to the vets for treatment.

Maria, 53, has set up a petition calling for the industry to be more regulated and for people who work in the industry to be awarded a charter mark.

She said: 'If tomorrow I set up a Facebook page from a shed in my back garden, I could be a dog groomer without any repercussions.

'I find that really concerning. There is currently no way of checking whether anybody has any recognised qualifications.

Two-year-old Pomeranian Tim was left 'traumatised' after he suffered a three-inch gash at the groomers because his fur was trimmed with clippers meant for a larger dog

Tim's owner Marian Stableford, 53, from Cromer, Norfolk, said she was left 'shocked' by the incident, which left her pet with a three-inch gash

Tim needed to be rushed off to the vet after the pet groomer sliced through his skin

'I have suggested a charter mark so qualified groomers can show that they have groomed a variety of dogs over a period of time, then the regulatory body could award a charter mark.

'That would weed out the bad groomers, who could be dealt with if they set up when they are unqualified.'

Maria says she booked Tim into a different place to where he normally goes, because their normal groomer couldn't fit him in.

But after he was there for an hour, she was asked to come and take her pet to the vets, which left her 'completely shocked.'

Maria said: 'We dropped Tim off and then we got a phone call an hour later saying we needed to get to her quickly as we had to take him to the vets.

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'My heart just dropped because we've had dogs for over 30 years and nobody has ever called us for something like that.

'We got to the salon and Tim was completely shaken and traumatised.

'One of the reasons we got Tim was because he's a very calming nature and he's an absolute doddle to groom for our usual groomer.

'We were completely shocked.'

Maria, of Cromer, Norfolk, then rushed Tim to the vets to be checked over, where she had to spend more than £200 to have him bandaged up.

She said: 'Tim is a really happy dog, so he normally dances when he goes into the vets and obviously he didn't.

'When they saw him, they were horrified and said it should have never happened.

'You could tell they were shocked by the look on their faces, but obviously they had to remain fairly neutral. They said it was awful though.'

Maria Stableford has launched a petition calling for regulation of the pet grooming industry