HOLBROOK, MASS. (WHDH) - A trip to the groomers took a tragic turn when a Holbrook family’s dog died in the care of employees.
Robert McNeil said he brought his Bernese Mountain Dog, Bailey, to K9 Groomers in Whitman for a bath. A few hours later, he got a phone call from the groomers, telling him Bailey was “not breathing well.”
“At that point, I just hung up the phone in a panic,” said McNeil. He met the groomers at the veterinarian and found his dog hot and not breathing. Bailey was covered with cold towels and ice packs to bring his temperature down.
“It’s awful to see your pet that you love going through that and you just see that it’s not getting better,” said Cheryl McNeil.
Bailey’s condition deteriorated and McNeil and his family made the difficult decision to have Bailey put down. The McNeils said the veterinarian told them Bailey was killed by heatstroke. The groomers said it was a bacterial infection. Police are now investigating what happened.
“I feel like I left my son there to die,” said McNeil. The family initially got Bailey seven years ago to cheer up their daughter Julie while she was in the hospital. Sadly, Bailey was put down on Julie’s 20th birthday.
The McNeils are now looking at $3,000 in emergency medical bills for Bailey’s care. They said they are also hoping local lawmakers can pass a law that will require more oversight for pet groomers.
7News was unable to reach K9 Groomers for comment.
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