Woman demands dog groomer to ask for consent before grooming her pet Bernedoodle

A woman has been branded ‘insufferable’ and a ‘total Karen’ after emailing a dog groomer with a list of bizarre demands that must be met when her dog is groomed.

The dog-lover, Susan, said she would only let the groomer give her dog a haircut if she asks for consent for each part of the grooming and maintains eye contact with her pet.

She also explained that she must be present during the haircut so she can act as a translator between the dog and groomer.

Unsurprisingly, Susan was struggling to find a groomer to meet the requirements for her ‘rare’ 18-month-old Bernedoodle. 

A woman has been branded ‘insufferable’ and a ‘total Karen’ after emailing a dog groomer with a list of bizarre demands that must be met when her pet Bernedoodle is groomed (stock image)

The dog-lover, Susan, said she would only let the groomer give her dog a haircut if she asks for consent for each part of the grooming and maintains eye contact with her pet (pictured is a stock image of a dog being groomed)

The dog groomer who received the email posted it to Reddit, where it has been picked apart by dog experts.

‘My name is Susan and I am looking for a groomer for my dog who can groom him in the non-confrontational manner I believe is best for him,’ the email began.

‘Dooley is an 18-month-old Bernodoodle (if you are unfamiliar with the more rare doodle breeds, he is a Bernese mountain dog/chow/standard poodle).’

‘This would be his first haircut as I have not found a groomer willing to work within the parameters I believe in.’

Susan’s email (pictured) also explained that she must be present during the haircut so she can act as a translator between the dog and groomer

The proud pet owner explained she just wanted a simple hair style for her dog and was looking for someone to take 1-2 inches off the length of his coat.

‘While I’m sure any groomer could easily handle the haircut, I’m having difficulty finding a groomer willing to wait for him to consent to each part of the grooming,’ she said.

‘He will consent by maintaining eye contact with you while you are working, and if he looks away he is withdrawing his consent, and you will need to stop until he grants it again.’

Susan said she doesn’t believe in ‘forcing’ her pooch to do anything that would make him ‘psychologically uncomfortable.’

‘Since I understand not everyone is as fluent in his language as I am, I would prefer it if I stayed and supervised his grooming to make sure you don’t miss anything he is telling you,’ she added.

To complete her extensive list of requests Susan added that the appointment can only take a ‘maximum of two hours’ to fit into her very busy schedule.

Susan was slammed for the email.

‘Tell me you’re insufferable without telling me you’re insufferable,’ one woman commented. 

‘It’s official, the new ‘Karen’ shall be ‘Susan’, a man said. 

Several dog owners even said she doesn’t understand dog behaviour.

‘This woman not only knows nothing about dog behaviour, she’s out of her mind! Direct eye contact from a dog tends to be confrontational in nature. You should never look an unfamiliar dog straight in the eyes if you can help it,’ one man advised.

However, some dog experts agree that dog grooming can be physically and emotionally stressful for a dog because of the invasion of personal space and the fact dog grooming is unregulated. 

They agree the practice can be safe if done in a more holistic way by ensuring the dog gives consent and is happy to be groomed, and by regulating the industry.