Animal Injuries – Groomer & Boarding Negligence

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 When you leave your dog or other beloved pet with a groomer, kennel, or boarding facility, you trust that they will provide safe and professional care. Unfortunately, far too often, animals suffer injuries, illnesses, or even death due to careless practices, unsafe conditions, or the facility’s failure to act when an animal is in distress.

At Teper Legal, we understand that your pet is more than property—they are family. We fight for justice when negligence or gross negligence by animal care providers causes harm.

 Under Massachusetts law, animal care providers such as groomers, kennels, and boarding facilities owe a duty of care to safeguard pets entrusted to them. When an injury arises not just from ordinary negligence, but from gross negligence—a reckless disregard for animal safety—owners may be entitled to compensatory and punitive damages. Examples include:

• Housing sick dogs without quarantine protocols
   
• Ignoring veterinary recommendations
   
• Failure to provide food, water, or medication
   
• Unsafe grooming practices leading to injury

 Massachusetts has one of the nation’s strongest consumer protection laws, M.G.L. c. 93A. This statute prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce” M.G.L. c. 93A, §2.

When a grooming salon, kennel, or pet care facility misrepresents safety protocols, conceals outbreaks of illness, or falsely assures owners that animals are fine when they are not, those acts can rise to a 93A violation. Under this law, injured consumers may recover treble damages and attorney’s fees if the conduct was willful or knowing【M.G.L. c. 93A, §9】.

At Teper Legal, we regularly pursue claims under Chapter 93A to hold negligent animal businesses accountable.

 Massachusetts is on the cusp of stronger protections for pets in boarding and daycare settings. Ollie’s Law, named after a Labradoodle who died in a daycare facility, was passed in 2024 and directs the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to establish statewide regulations for boarding kennels and daycares. These rules will include requirements for:

• Staffing ratios
   
• Group sizes and supervision
   
• Safety and sanitation standards
   
• Reporting of injuries and deaths
   

While the regulations are still pending, Ollie’s Law underscores that Massachusetts is taking kennel safety seriously. Until then, families must rely on existing negligence, contract, and consumer protection laws to hold facilities accountable.

 Attorney Adam E. Teper, Esq and Teper Legal Staff represent pet owners across Massachusetts in cases involving:

• Dog injuries at grooming salons
   
• Illness outbreaks in kennels or boarding facilities
   
• Deaths of animals caused by unsanitary or unsafe conditions
   
• Failure to disclose contagious diseases to clients
   
• Fraudulent misrepresentation of services or facility safety
   

We combine legal experience in animal law, consumer rights, and civil litigation to fight for both financial recovery and policy reform.

 If your dog or animal was harmed due to the negligence or gross negligence of a groomer, kennel, or boarding facility, you have rights. With Chapter 93A consumer protection remedies and the momentum of Ollie’s Law, Massachusetts pet owners are no longer left without recourse.

📞 Contact Teper Legal today to discuss your case and protect the rights—and lives—of your animals.