Dog dies at grooming salon while trying to escape crate with leash on, authorities say

NILES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WNDU/Gray News) - A dog owner in Michigan says he is making arrangements to bury his dog after the animal died at a grooming salon.

Josh Greulich, the owner of a Shih Tzu named Mojo, said he never thought this could have happened.

“We didn’t know that this would ever be an option or something that could happen with a haircut and a shampoo,” he said while wiping away tears.

According to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Happy Tails Grooming Salon in Niles Township on Tuesday afternoon. When they arrived, they found Mojo dead.

According to the police report, the owner of the salon told deputies the dog was acting aggressively, so she placed a leash on him and put him into a crate to dry.

A short time later, Mojo reportedly tried to get out of the crate with the leash on.

An employee then found the dog hanging by the leash from the crate, the police report said. The worker started CPR, but the dog did not survive.

“I just want to tell Mojo that we love him, we’re sorry, and that we’re gonna definitely always remember him,” Greulich said. “There will never be a time that he won’t be in our hearts.”

Greulich said he felt the salon owner did not show enough concern following what had happened.

“I had been talking to her about four minutes, and then she says, ‘Well, I got other dogs that I still have to cut. I need to let you go,’” he said. “I would have thought with a situation like this, it might have been a good point to think, ‘Hey, maybe I might need to close shop for the day.’”

Deputies noted in the report that several crates, including the one Mojo was in, appeared to have problems with their latches.

According to the sheriff’s office, the dog’s death was ruled accidental.

Johanna Humbert, executive director of the Michiana Humane Society, said there are currently no state-level safety licensing requirements specific to pet groomers in either Michigan or Indiana.

“You should not drop your dog off for a simple bath and a haircut and an hour or two later, find out that your dog has died,” Humbert said.

Greulich said he was at a loss about why laws do not exist.

“I’m lost, I’m kind of lost in translation of why wouldn’t we have some kind of law in the books by now?” Greulich said. “We’ve got a lot of laws that are minimal.”

The grooming salon appeared closed Friday. A request for comment was not immediately returned.