More Allegations Against PetSmart Groomer

North Augusta, SC -- The Bolton's say, when they saw our story from Wednesday night, they were shocked, and so they called animal control investigators and shared their story.

Jamie Bolton, dog owner: “There's no telling what happened that day. It got me thinking that maybe he had something around her neck, and it slit her neck.”

That's what went through Jamie Bolton's mind when she heard of the allegations against a groomer at Pet Smart where she takes her poodle-mix, Cody. She noticed something was wrong the last time Cody was there.

Bolton: “This is the morning after having been groomed and she was bleeding out of one side of her neck. And, my husband got to looking and noticed that it was a pretty deep wound and he started looking around to see if there were any other spots, and she was actually cut on the same spot on the other side of the neck, which had started bleeding, also.”

The Bolton's say PetSmart gave no explanation of how it may have happened, but that the pet store paid the $40 vet bill. We have a copy of the vet records, stating Bolton's concern that Cody was cut at the groomers.

Bolton: “Not from the time that we left the groomers, to the time that we noticed, she hadn't been exposed to do anything.”

Thursday, PetSmart released another statement to WJBF News Channel 6:

“In regards to the situation you're reporting on, we take any allegation of mistreatment seriously, and we investigate each complaint. While incidents such as these are rare, as we previously stated, we take this issue seriously and are conducting a full investigation into the allegations made against our groomer. Our store in Augusta, Ga has a strong record for excellent pet care and will continue to make pet safety our number one priority.”

Cody's wounds have since healed, but the fear of knowing what could have happened to is something Bolton says she still worries about.

Bolton: “I think she would have eventually gotten some type of blood infection or gangrene or something because the cuts were pretty open.”

We did hear from a woman who says her family has been taking their pets to Monbarren for years, and that he would never hurt any animal.

Investigators tell us more charges could be pending as these cases develop.

To view the original story, click here.