A pet dog died from internal bleeding after a groomer held it by a “noose” and manhandled it, a court has heard.
Prince, a Pomeranian, was “gasping for air” as it was being groomed by Alejandro José Molina Becerra at Petland in Għaxaq, according to the Animal Welfare Directorate after reviewing CCTV footage.
Becerra, 29, and the owner of Petland, Soren Nygaard Anderson, 38, have both been charged with mishandling the dog, leading to its death. They deny the charges.
The case dates to September 4, 2023, when Keith and Nadia Caruana decided to take Prince to Petland for the first time. Nadia Caruana dropped Prince off to be groomed at 8.30am.
The Animal Welfare Directorate’s report, submitted as evidence in the case, gave a detailed account of the “harsh techniques” the groomer allegedly used.
According to the report, CCTV footage showed him place Prince on a table with a “noose” tightly tied around the dog’s neck.
While Prince was being held up by the noose, the groomer would regularly turn his back to the dog and stay on his phone with headphones on.
It described how the groomer grabbed the dog by the ears, picked it up by its head, pushed it around, pulled it by its tail, roughly combed it, and blew the hair dryer close to Prince’s face.
“The Pomeranian exhibited symptoms of difficulty breathing, gasping for air, constant panting, occasional discolouration of the tongue, vomiting, lethargy, and visible struggles to free itself from the noose,” the report said, after analysing the footage.
The report added that these reactions happened frequently while Prince was placed under the groomer’s care, but the groomer “remained oblivious to the signs of the Pomeranian’s struggle”.
Over an hour later, the groomer placed Prince – still allegedly gasping for air – in a crate. Prince later walked out of the crate and collapsed while hyperventilating. Around 15 minutes later, a vet was called by the shop. After arriving on site, the vet realised that Prince had succumbed to its injuries.
An autopsy report found that Prince died from internal bleeding while it was being seen by a vet.
The owner of Petland, through their lawyer, told Times of Malta they had taken every possible measure to prevent such incidents.
“Following the incident, the employees called a veterinarian, ensuring that immediate care was provided. Additionally, assistance was offered to the pet’s owners,” they said.
Meanwhile, the groomer’s lawyer stated that the case is ongoing and declined to comment.Currently, the case is still being heard by a court in the compilation of evidence stage.
Inspector Doriette Cuschieri is prosecuting the case. Defence lawyers Chris Vella and Maria Sarah Vella Gafà represented the accused. Lawyers Jason Grima and Kirsty Muscat were parte civile for Keith and Nadia Caruana.
This incident happened a few months before the government announced new legislation that regulates the job of a pet groomer.
Under the new legislation, grooming establishments and pet boarders must have a licence to operate.
Grooming establishments must have one individual who holds a certificate in animal first aid, install a CCTV system and have a plan of action in the case of an emergency.