Groomer charged after 4 lb. dog suffers deadly injuries

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) - A woman revealed the details Monday night of what happened when a groomer returned her once-healthy dog with new and severe injuries, leading the dog to be euthanized.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office released information about the case Monday morning. It revolves around Tina Brady, her 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Lacey, and the groomer, Andra Edison.

Brady said she and her husband had taken the 4 lb. dog to the grooming business where Edison worked once before, so they trusted her.

The groomer business had shut down during the pandemic, so Edison was operating out of her home at the time, according to the sheriff’s office.

Brady says when she dropped off Lacey to Edison, the dog was fine, but when she got her back 90 minutes later, she knew right away something was wrong.

“[Edison] hands her to me, and [Lacey]‘s kind of yelping and stuff, and I looked at her and she kind of had a spot on her head, and I asked [Edison] what’s wrong with that,” Brady said. “[Edison] said [Lacey] was scratching really bad and started flipping around in the cage as soon as I left.”

Brady said Edison tried to claim Lacey had been in bad shape when the dog was dropped off.

“I was like, ‘Why would I drop her off if she was that way?‘” Brady mused.

Brady said Edison also suggested perhaps Lacey had a seizure, but Brady says the dog had never experienced one before.

“[Edison] was just kind of crying and stuff, and was like, ‘I am afraid if you take her to the vet, they will put her down,’ and I thought, ‘Why would they put her down?’” Brady recalled.

Brady said she asked Edison how much she owed, to which she says Edison replied, “Nothing.”

“I said, ‘Well, you put time into this. This was your job,’ and she was like, ‘No, I can’t charge you.’”

Brady said she decided to take Lacey to a veterinarian to get checked out. It turned out the dog had bleeding on the brain and several broken ribs.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said it appeared Edison held Lacey down on the grooming table with all Edison’s body weight.

According to the vet at MedVet, that may have been the cause of the broken ribs and contusions.

The bruising on the neck was most likely from the chain or leash used by the groomer to hold Lacey still, the dog wardens said.

“It’s scary to think you drop your dog off to be groomed and she comes back in such a condition you have to have her euthanized,” Sheriff Richard Jones said. “That’s when we step in to make sure the person responsible faces a judge.”

Brady said the bleeding in the dog’s brain is ultimately why she had to be put down.

“She was our baby,” Brady said. “We would like to know what happened to her, but then, on the other hand, we are scared to know what she did to her.”

Edison has since been charged with cruelty to a companion animal.

Lacey’s owners said they hope the woman is never allowed to touch another dog again.

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