Pennsylvania Woman's Pet Dog Allegedly Mauled To Death At PetSmart Salon

A Pennsylvania woman is claiming that her 12-year-old dog was killed by another dog at a PetSmart grooming salon.

Betty Miller told ABC News affiliate WNEP that she dropped off her bichon named Brewster at the Dickson City PetSmart for an appointment last Wednesday. She then got a call later that day saying Brewster was taken to the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center (VREC) because he had been attacked by another dog at the store. The dog was pronounced dead on arrival.

In a statement to WNEP, VREC said that "resuscitation efforts were administered, but proved to be unsuccessful."

Miller told the network the attacker was a pit bull. She added that she did not understand how the store allowed the dog to come near Brewster and that her dog was “bait” for the other dog.

“…. Why would you want to bring a pit bull past a small dog who's really just bait? He was bait."

"I felt so guilty the day it happened because we would say to him, 'You want to go bye-bye?' And he'd hop in that car, and he didn't know it was going to be his last ride," Miller said. "It was hard, very, very hard. He's been with us for 12 years."

She added that she was unhappy with how PetSmart corporate handled the issue and stated there could be more safety protocols put in place to avoid tragedies like this, New York Daily News reported

"We called corporate," Miller said. "They did not reach out to us, and I was very angry about that.

"He was loving," she added. "He was gentle. He was funny. He was like a toy, and he loved everyone."

PetSmart's issued a statement to local networks and said they have launched an investigation into the death of the dog:

"We are truly saddened by the loss of Brewster. The health, safety and well-being of the pets in our care is our top priority, and we immediately launched an internal investigation to better understand what led to this tragic accident. We have high standards of care in place and are actively gathering more information to determine any policy or procedural violations. We welcome all dogs, regardless of their breed, into our grooming salons provided they are well-behaved. We will remain in close contact with Brewster’s pet parent as we learn more."

This is not the first time the animal products and services chain has been accused of negligence or injuring a pet under its care. In another instance in November last year, the owners of a pet dachshund who died during a grooming appointment at a PetSmart store in San Mateo, California, filed a lawsuit alleging the company had received several complaints of pet injuries during grooming appointments before but failed to take action to correct the problem.

According to the complaint by Terrie Peacock and Stefan Zier, many consumers around the country had reported deaths or serious of pets during grooming sessions dating as far back as 2010.