Imagine dropping your dog off at the groomer and picking them up shaved — without your consent, without warning. Then when you ask what happened and demand accountability, the groomer posts a video calling your dog "severely neglected" to over a million people in a video that goes viral on social media, and without a single piece of documentation.

That's what happened to our Samoyed, Wren, on June 8th. She'd been professionally groomed just four weeks earlier — then partially shaved by a groomer we now believe was inexperienced with Samoyeds without our knowledge or consent. The worst part is, we still have not seen a single photo, video, or even a written description of the alleged “matting.”

And this wasn't "just a haircut." Wren is a double-coated breed. That double coat is her thermoregulation system — it insulates against cold and, counterintuitively, against heat, while the guard hairs block UV rays. Shaving it disrupts that system and leaves the dog exposed to sunburn, overheating, and skin damage. Worse, the damage can be permanent: a shaved double coat can regrow patchy, with altered texture, or in some cases not fully regrow at all.

Ethical salons know this — it's why they make owners sign release forms before shaving a double-coated dog.

Wren got none of that. No warning, no consent, no release. And here's the part that should concern every dog owner in America: none of it broke any law. Because no state in America requires a license — or any education or training — to groom dogs. Not one.

Think about that. Your hairdresser needs a state license and over a thousand hours of training. Your nail tech needs a license. But anyone can buy clippers, call themselves a professional groomer, and take your dog behind a closed door. No training required. No standards. No one checking.

Bills have been introduced in three states, but none has become law — New Jersey's bill is back before its legislature for the seventh straight session and still hasn't passed.

This isn't anti-groomer. The best groomers already do everything right — they assess the dog, get consent before making drastic changes to a dog’s coat, report injuries, and keep learning. They do it voluntarily because it’s the right thing to do, but the law requires none of it.

Licensing protects them too, by separating real professionals from anyone with a pair of clippers.

We're asking lawmakers throughout the country to address this:

1. License professional dog groomers, with real tiers — bather/brusher, groomer, master groomer.

2. Require actual education and training, plus continuing education to keep the license.

3. Set enforceable standards: informed consent, injury reporting, documentation, transparency.

4. Create an independent oversight board — groomers, grooming associations, a vet, and everyday dog owners — with the power to investigate complaints and pull licenses.

Unfortunately, Wren’s story is not unique. Dogs are improperly handled and/or injured in grooming salons every year, and most of those stories never surface — because with no licensing and no reporting requirements, there's not even a record of how many. Let's make sure no one else's dog goes through this.

#rightbywren