NParks investigates home pet groomer who lost client’s dog who later died in car accident

SINGAPORE – A home pet sitting business is under investigation after it lost a customer’s dog, which later died in a road accident on April 29.

The National Parks Board (NParks) is carrying out an investigation into the case, which involves a three-year-old cavalier poodle called Emma, ​​under the care of pet groomer Awesome Pawsome.

Emma’s owner Janet Tan, 56, sent her dog to Awesome Pawsome in Ghim Moh Link on the night of April 29 after finding knots in her fur.

Awesome Pawsome wasn’t Ms Tan’s regular groomer, but she decided to send Emma there anyway because it was within walking distance of her house and had over 200 positive reviews on Google.

When he showed up at the hair salon premises for his appointment at 5.30pm that day, he found it unusual that it was located in an HDB flat, he told The Straits Times.

Running a pet grooming service in a Housing Board residential unit is prohibited, but Ms Tan didn’t know that.

There was only one maid present in the apartment, and Tan said she was “worried” about leaving Emma with her.

She relented only after calling the hairdresser and being told a member of staff would arrive shortly. She added that the hairdresser agreed to her request to send him photos of Emma periodically during the session.

Ms Tan, who works at a digital payments company, also asked the hairdresser to send Emma back to her home in a private hire vehicle after the session, and for someone to accompany her on the trip.

At around 7.30pm, the groomer sent Ms Tan a WhatsApp message telling her that Emma was ready to be sent back home, and Ms Tan paid Awesome Pawsome $160.

But about 30 minutes later, he received another message that the hairdresser had lost Emma.

“Janet, your dog got off the leash and ran away while we were loading the car,” said the message, which was seen by ST.

Another message read: “Janet, why is your body harness so loose it’s not even secured?”