CARROLLWOOD, Fla. — A local family is heartbroken after their 4-year-old pug died at the groomer. Now, they're calling for justice as the groomer denies responsibility.
"Berlin, he was not just a dog, he was part of the family," Sara Oliveira said. "He was a pretty good boy; he made everybody very happy."
In late September, Oliveira dropped off Berlin the pug for a routine appointment at Blu Pet Shop and Spa in Carrollwood. It was the last time she saw him alive.
"I say what's happened to Berlin, where's my dog? And she said, 'Oh you know he had a problem with breathing' and I said, where's my dog?" Oliveira said.
Manager Gustavo Dilly said he and another employee were trimming the pug's nails when the incident occurred.
"He was jumping around, trying to bite because he didn't like the grinder," Dilly said. Because of his energy, Dilly said he held the dog snugly and muzzled him.
"We noticed he was too quiet and I took the muzzle off and we noticed he wasn't breathing," Dilly said. He tried to perform CPR and was unsuccessful. He said he rushed the dog to the nearest vet, but by then it was too late.
The newly released necropsy report does not cite a conclusive cause of death. However, it said the findings are "consistent with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and obesity."
The autopsy continued, "While these findings alone can contribute to respiration difficulties and sudden death, these findings along with being muzzled and/or held tightly (as reported) could have had a compounding negative effect on this dog’s ability to breathe and death."
Dilly and the shop owner said the dog's health condition was primarily to blame for the dog's death.
"Even though the stress was like a trigger for what happened, it wasn't our fault, you know, because that could happen at any time," he said.
However, Oliveira says she didn't know her pug would be muzzled.
"Why did he do that with a small dog? If he saw the dog was in such stress, why didn't he stop? That's my question," Oliviera said.
While nothing can bring Berlin back, the shop said it is deeply sorry for what happened.
"All we have to say is, I'm sorry, but we couldn't do anything," Dilly said.
Dilly says Blu Pet Shop and Spa will no longer take aggressive dogs or short-nosed dogs like pugs without a vet health report.
The owner of Blu Pet Shop and Spa, Josandra, shared the following statement with 10 Tampa Bay:
"I wanted to say that Berlin had been our customer for almost two years and he always arrived and left our store very happy. We loved playing, hugging and kissing him. He behaved well during most of the procedures, but he was really very aggressive when it came to the nail file. The owners knew this and they couldn't cut his nails themselves.
"I would not establish any procedure that would put Berlin, any animal, or my employees at risk. Even though I was not in the store at the time of the incident, I instructed my employees on the CPR procedures over the phone and ordered them to urgently take the animal to the veterinary hospital across the street to receive veterinary intervention which was impossible because they closed 15 minutes before their regular time, and the employee decide to take him to another nearest hospital.
"My company did not shy away from providing assistance to the animal and paying all the hospital, autopsy, and cremation costs.
"The autopsy results demonstrated that there was no evidence of strangulation or physical signs that could prevent Berlin from breathing, that he had brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and obesity and that this alone can contribute to breathing difficulties and sudden death, which demonstrates that It was not caused by us. I want to clarify and emphasize that the muzzle used was not tight and that it is completely breathable as it has net on the entire front and does not come into contact with the animal's snout, leaving the nose and mouth completely free inside the muzzle, but it prevents the animal that bites someone.
"I would like to add that even though I am being attacked on our social networks and the internet by haters, by Berlin's family and his friends, I have been praying for them every day, so that God protects them, gives them peace and bless their lives. I'm really sorry for what happened to Berlin and I sympathize with the family's pain, and this autopsy result only confirms that the fatality did not occur because of us, but because of a pre-existing physical condition of the animal.
"I would like to finish by saying that my store is a small business and from here I put food on my children's tables, and I can say that I love what I do and I do what I love, which is taking care of animals; They are my best friends and I don't see myself doing anything other than being with them."