Ben
The Perfect candidate for Home Grooming
One day while I was working I received a call from a dog grooming shop located in Reno, Nevada. They had called to warn us about an aggressive Saint Bernard named Ben. Ben was described as a 200 pound dog with a very bad attitude. While the owner had Ben on the leash and was walking him into the grooming shop, Ben tried to attack the dog groomer. Luckily the owner had hold of the leash.
Our blade sharpener, Bill, stopped by and in small talk also mentioned this dog. Bill warned that the owner had tried to get into numerous grooming shops and had been turned down by all. Apparently Ben had shown aggression at all the grooming shops.
A few months went by and I had almost forgotten about Ben. Then one day while I was in the back room bathing a dog my helper came back and asked me to go up front to talk to a woman with a Saint Bernard that had an appointment for a haircut. When I went up front and looked over the door the Saint Bernard growled at me, I knew immediately that this was Ben. So I nonchalantly walked out the door and stood by the owner. When I asked her if her dog was aggressive she told me that she had never had any problems with him. Not entirely believing her I placed one finger on the top of Ben's head. Ben put his head down slightly and began to really growl, I removed my finger. Going back into the safety of the shop I explained to the owner that her dog was indeed aggressive and that we could not groom him. When she tried to argue with me I couldn't believe my ears. Could this woman really be this naive. Having planned on getting her dog groomed that day she had made plans to pass the time while Ben was being groomed. So she asked us if we could keep him in the shop while she did her errands.
Now I usually try to work with people. Many times I have had owners in my shop assisting with aggressive dogs, scared dogs and old dogs. This dog however was a dangerous 200 pound Kujo. The idea of him getting out of the cage did not paint a pretty picture in my mind. At this point I knew that I was not going to be the one who put Ben in a cage. Something told me that he would not like it and I was not about to do anything to Ben that he did not like. Instead I told the woman that if she could get Ben in a cage herself and he did not seem to want to chew his way out, then he could stay.
To my relief, she could not get Ben in the cage. When she asked if we could help her, Ben growled at her. I felt it was a smart choice to just stay on my side of the room. The woman left that day, never to return.
This is a perfect example of the type of dog that should be groomed at home for the safety of all involved. A small dog that is aggressive can usually be worked with. A large dog the size of Ben can be dangerous. Not only can they get their muzzle off but they also have a tendency to use their paws and size in their aggression. Although I have heard of owners giving drugs to their aggressive dogs before being groomed to calm them down, I personally refused to groom a drugged dog. My feelings were: if the dog comes out of the drugged state before the grooming is completed the dog may be even more aggressive due to confusion and fear. If however you choose to do this, I suggest going to a grooming shop that is affiliated with a veterinarian business. This way if anything should go wrong the veterinarian is close by to assist.
