A Nashville woman is going viral on TikTok after alleging that a local groomer accidentally cut off part of her dog’s ear.
Kylie Wells (@kkyliewells) says she took her dog, named Baby, to the groomer this past weekend for a bath and haircut. In her emotional video, Wells shared footage of Baby’s injury. She revealed that a significant portion of the dog’s ear had been completely severed.
Wells claimed the groomer initially downplayed the injury, assuring her it was minor. But when she arrived to pick up Baby, she was horrified to find a much more severe wound than she had been led to believe.
“WARNING!!!! The groomer just cut off my dog’s ear,” Wells wrote in the accompanying text overlay of her clip. “Be careful with who you hire to groom your pet.”
As of Sunday, her video warning others about her dog’s experience at the groomer had amassed more than 2.7 million views.
What happened to Baby at the groomer?
Despite his injury, Wells said her dog was “such a trooper.”
That doesn’t mean what happened was acceptable, though. She shared footage of Baby after the grooming, revealing that a significant portion of his ear had been completely cut off.
Wells explained that she took Baby to a mobile grooming company based in Nashville, Tennessee, where he’s a regular client. However, his usual groomer was unavailable that day. He was instead assigned to a man named David.
She began to suspect something was wrong when Baby remained in the grooming truck for 90 minutes—far longer than usual. And when he finally emerged, Wells said it didn’t even look like he had received “a bath or cut.”
After finding the severed portion of Baby’s ear, Wells and her family rushed him to an emergency hospital. There, he underwent surgery. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to reattach the ear, leaving it “super narrow and short.” She also revealed that Baby suffered nerve damage from the injury.
“He’s not the same dog,” Wells said, adding that he has become noticeably more “timid.”
What can you do if this happens to you?
Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer for pet owners whose dogs are injured at the groomer. As Animal Fair Media pointed out, no state requires pet groomers to be licensed. It’s up to individual companies to properly train their employees and hold them accountable when accidents occur.
Viewers saw how this played out in Wells’s case. She alleged that the grooming company she took Baby to didn’t even fire David, the groomer responsible for the injury.
“Your pets don’t have a voice of their own to confront the groomer, but you do, and your pooch expects you to stand up for them!” Animal Fair Media reported.
The outlet listed several steps pet owners can take if their dog is harmed at a grooming salon. These include filing a lawsuit if the injuries are severe, reporting mistreatment to local authorities, warning others about the groomer, and advocating for stronger animal protection laws in their state.
Most importantly, the outlet urged pet owners to be vigilant about whom they trust with their animals.
“When choosing a groomer, you want to make sure you pick the right one to prevent any salon-related tragedies,” they advised. “Read reviews, ask for recommendations from your vet, and double-check that the business has the proper licenses to handle your dog.”
@kkyliewells #foryou #fyp #pomeranian ♬ OH MA GAWD – 𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 
Viewers encourage the customer to sue
In the comments section of Wells’s video, many viewers urged her to take legal action against both the groomer and the company that employed him.
“You should definitely sue,” one viewer wrote. “This is insane.”
“This breaks my heart,” another said. “Plz get their license taken away. This is ridiculous.”
“The way i would crash out and sue,” a third user added. “I do NOT play about my pets.”
Some groomers, meanwhile, were stunned, questioning how anyone could nearly sever an entire ear during a routine grooming.
“I’m a groomer, HOW DID HE DO THAT? What was her explanation?” one worker asked.
“As a groomer, I have nicked a dog’s ear, this is so far from that,” another wrote. “I can’t imagine what they could be doing that this could happen. Even with the sharpest shears you would feel resistance and stop.”
“I’m a dog groomer and I get accidents happen but, like, that’s a big chunk no way,” a third viewer wrote. “I hope your baby is OK.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Wells via TikTok comment.
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