After a Brooklyn family’s Shih Tzu died while being groomed, a New York lawmaker introduced a bill to license pet groomers in the state.
The bill offered by state Sen. Carl Kruger, a Brooklyn Democrat, requires dog groomers to meet unspecified training requirements, pay a $20 license fee every two years and be at least 16 years old.
The bill creates a state office to oversee licensing of groomers. The office would inspect grooming facilities for violations of standards of care, which are to be set by the new office.
Penalties for violations could range up to $1,000 each. Standards include providing adequate holding cages for animals.
The bill also would outlaw the use of dryer cages in New York. The death of Shih Tzu in Brooklyn came after being dried in a cage dryer.