Question
My wife and I took our dog to a groomer in Loveland, Colorado, where my daughter lives, as we reside in Nebraska. During the grooming session, my wife received a phone call stating that there had been an incident, but the groomer would not provide details until she arrived. When my wife arrived, our dog was still on the grooming table being groomed, and there was a significant amount of blood coming from his mouth. The owner explained that he had accidentally been cut on the tongue but was unsure whether we wanted to take him to a vet. The owner stated that they would cover the veterinary bills and that there would be no charge for the grooming. The groomer appeared very remorseful and was in tears over what had happened. Due to the amount of blood, my wife immediately picked up our dog and rushed him to a veterinary hospital. The vet took him in right away and performed surgery, placing 14 stitches in his tongue. We were told that the cut was serious and that it was fortunate we brought him in when we did, as he could have bled to death. Although the groomer paid the veterinary bills, our dog is now very traumatized. We are having difficulty getting him groomed again because he is scared. We had to hand-feed him for three days after the surgery, and he now runs away whenever he sees a grooming table. My question is, even though the groomer paid the vet bills, I believe there was negligence in not recognizing the seriousness of the injury and reporting it immediately. We also believe there should be compensation for pain and suffering. What are your thoughts? We are considering small claims court.
Answer
I am very sorry to hear about your dog and hope he is doing much better now.
There was a very recent case (2026) in Colorado where the plaintiff sought to recover for emotional distress after her dog was killed by a neighbor’s “trespassing” dog. The court on appeal stated: “As it stands, Colorado law does not permit recovery of noneconomic damages based on a claim of gross negligence arising from the loss of a pet or other property.” The court awarded the plaintiff $3,500 to purchase another poodle, $800 for the veterinary expenses to spay the new dog, $300 for the cost of training the new dog in a manner equivalent to the training of the dog who was killed, and $168.02 in prejudgment interest.
People whose animals are wrongfully harmed or killed may also seek exemplary damages. These are damages that are sometimes awarded when a defendant’s actions were particularly egregious.
While Small Claims courts are user friendly and it is inexpensive to bring lawsuits in these courts, they do not typically award money for emotional distress.
I believe we can expect more laws to be enacted that recognize animals as sentient beings and a greater number of court decisions where people who negligently or intentionally harm or kill animals are held more accountable.
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