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SCMP Reporter

Dou Dou was once so proud of his luxuriant coat that he loved sitting in front of a mirror.

Now, according to owner Bonnie Louie Yee-lin,  the two-year-old Shih Tzu cannot bear to look at himself after a pet shop mistakenly shaved off all his hair.

'He looks like a chihuahua with skin rashes,' said an angry Ms Louie, who is seeking compensation from the shop and has complained to the Consumer Council. 'I couldn't recognise him until he wagged his tail and kissed me.'

Things started to go wrong for the vain canine about 2pm on Monday when Ms Louie's sister-in-law, who was caring for the dog while the owner was  visiting the mainland, took him to the Lenix Pet Grooming Centre in Tsuen Wan for a grooming.

Ms Louie was horrified when she returned five hours later to find Dou Dou bald. 'It was a close and clean shave,' she said yesterday.

Even the upward-sprouting hair above his nose, which created what Ms Louie called a 'chrysanthemum face' was gone.

The shop said it was a mix-up and did not charge her, but that has not satisfied the angry owner, who says her pet is very upset.

'He is very self-conscious. He loves the mirror and the camera,' she said. 'He used to eat right in front of the mirror but now he just looks away from it ...  I have never seen him this naked. I don't even know if he has any birth marks. How can I identify him?' she asked.

Ms Louie said that when she complained to the Consumer Council, it  told her she would have to prove the grooming-gone-wrong had caused unnecessary distress for the dog and its owners.

She said the council told her compensation could vary depending on whether Dou Dou had refused to eat, had become ill or was suffering a temporary depression and whether she  could prove it.

A  spokeswoman said owners could take their complaints to the Small Claims Tribunal if they had sound supporting evidence. The council  is investigating whether there have been  similar complaints.

Store owner Lam Pui-keung said the shop had been very busy over Easter and a staff member had mixed up Dou Dou's number tag with that of a pet  in for a shave.

'We've made a mistake. I have already apologised to her many times,' Mr Lam said. 'I really don't know what to do because she has not made any request for compensation. What can I do, really? Do you want me to reattach the dog's hair?'

Mr Lam said Ms Louie had been 'very rude and kept yelling at my staff. I feel so helpless, but we did make the mistake and so we didn't charge her for the service,' he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Louie - who says she is reserving her legal rights - has found a way to cheer up her fretting pet in the six months it will take for his coat to grow back.

'I am buying him more attractive and colourful outfits to make him feel better ... we have to cheer him up and let him know he is still handsome.'



Close shave at pet spa leaves Dou Dou feeling rrr-rough