Renfrewshire dog nearly rehomed after traumatic haircut

Following a visit to a new groomer, Charlie, a toy poodle, returned home noticeably distressed and began snapping and growling. The behaviour was so out of character that his owner, Jessica from Renfrewshire, feared she would have to rehome him.

Jessica said: “I can’t recommend Joanne and the Scottish SPCA highly enough.

“I encourage anyone in my position who needs support with their pet’s behaviour to reach out, as without them, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my best friend — which is just unthinkable.

“Thanks to the Scottish SPCA, Charlie is home for Christmas with his mum.”

Jessica, who has owned poodles for more than 50 years, had taken Charlie to a different groomer because her regular one was unwell. When she collected him, he appeared extremely distressed and just wanted to go home, unlike his usual calm demeanour.

The SPCA are still working with Charlie to ensure he is a confident dog again (Image: Supplied)

The distress escalated into aggressive behaviour, with Charlie refusing to let Jessica remove his lead and harness and not wanting to leave the front room.

Deeply concerned, Jessica took Charlie to the vet, who suggested he may have been traumatised during the grooming visit.

He explained that Charlie had been put on a small ledge, had his hair cut short, and was placed in a small waiting area with three much larger dogs who circled him.

Believing she might not be able to care for him anymore, Jessica contacted the Scottish SPCA for advice.

She was put in touch with Joanne Vasey, a community animal behaviourist at the charity, who explained a new service that supports owners dealing with behavioural challenges in pets.

Through Joanne’s support, Jessica began to understand Charlie’s stress signals and ways to help him regain confidence.

One practical solution was giving Charlie a small set of stairs to get on and off the bed by himself, restoring some of his independence and helping re-establish their usual bedtime routine.

Joanne said: “I worked with Jessica and Charlie over several months at a time when things were very grim.

“A bad experience at a groomer had resulted in a worried dog when it came to handling, and both dog and owner were struggling with each other.

“Without our community behaviour help, there would have been no option but for Jessica to have rehomed Charlie, as the situation was likely to deteriorate and affect the mental wellbeing of both.

“With some explanations about why he was behaving this way, it allowed Jessica to understand him so much better, and then we worked on some simple behaviour techniques to rebuild trust.

“There have been a few setbacks along the way, but the continued support has meant things have settled down and Jessica knows what to do in any future situations.

“Without our help, a lovely dog would have been uprooted from a wonderful home needlessly, so I am so glad I was able to help them both.

“You could not ask for a more committed owner.”

Joanne continues to work with Jessica to help Charlie regain his confidence and ensure his continued wellbeing.

To report any act of cruelty, visit the Contact Us page at SPCA.