My heart shattered the day we lost Ruby, our beloved dog, due to an avoidable tragedy while she was under the care of a groomer. Ruby was left unattended in a tub, restrained by her neck. Due to the lack of supervision while she was restrained, she was able to jump out of the tub, which ultimately resulted in her death; a heart-wrenching incident that no pet owner should ever have to experience. An act of caring for your pet should never result in loss of life. 

Every day, countless pet owners trust groomers with their beloved animals, assuming they are in safe hands. However, current practices in some grooming salons leave substantial room for improvement, particularly when it involves the safety and supervision of pets while they are being groomed. Leaving animals unattended on elevated surfaces or restrained without immediate supervision significantly increases the risk of injury or worse.

According to a report by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), thousands of pet injuries every year are attributed to negligence in grooming practices. We must not leave the safety of our pets to chance. Implementing stricter regulations and monitoring systems can prevent such heart-wrenching incidents from happening to other families.

Currently, Texas Penal Code 42.092, while addressing animal cruelty, still has much room for improvement. Right now, there is nowhere that states penalties for things such as leaving animals unattended while restrained, grooming restraint safety standards, supervision requirements, required training certifications, and mandatory faculty protocols — leaving our animals vulnerable. It is crucial that we fix these gaps in pet safety standards so that we can ensure animals will be protected against the unfortunate negligence that Ruby experienced.

We must advocate for protocols that require:

1. Continuous supervision whenever an animal is on a grooming table, tub, or elevated surface.
2. Creating grooming restraint safety standards.
3. Incident reporting requirement within 24 hours if injury or death occurs.
4. Civil penalties for violation.
5. Class A misdemeanor if death results from unattended restraint.

By implementing these actions, we can create an environment where pets can be groomed safely, without the looming fear of accidents, allowing pet owners to feel confident in the services they’re using. Pets are like family, and we should feel safe in knowing that our loved ones will return home to us alive and well. 

Join me in this urgent call to action to protect our pets and demand safer grooming regulations. Please sign this petition to ensure that no more pet family members have to go through the tragedy that claimed Ruby’s life.