Animal lovers across TikTok are demanding #JusticeforDakota after a user complained her dog suffered life-changing injuries from dog grooming company Scenthound. In a tearful video that has been viewed 898,500 times, India Danna (@eatmyambition) says her dog Dakota was fine when she first brought him to Scenthound; however, he began to notice that something was wrong with the returns from the fixers. “When we picked him up, he was sad,” she said.
India said Dakota “went a little bit” on the car ride home, but “didn’t think anything of it” until two days later, when the dog started dragging his back legs and couldn’t walk.
“I’m at the emergency vet, and they’re telling me he probably has nerve damage,” she said. “I don’t know what will happen to my dog.”
“Don’t use these people,” he repeated. “I want to bring awareness not to use these people.” India did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via a direct message on Facebook.
@eatmyambition #fyp #fypシ @Scenthound ♬ original sound – India Danna
What happened next?
In a follow-up video posted on May 8, India said she received an email from Scenthound. Based on the alleged email India read from her phone, the company claimed Dakota received “excellent care” and no injuries occurred. The purported email also said the company would have Animal Services in Cobb County, Georgia, review CCTV footage of the visit for third-party verification.
“So you’re telling me you’re willing to let a third party review this footage, but you won’t let me review the footage of my own dog?” India asked. He then said he sent an email back to the company demanding the unedited CCTV footage within 48 hours, failing which he would escalate the matter legally. India did not respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via a direct message on Facebook.
Now, on videos on Scenthound’s TikTok account, viewers are filling in comments demanding “justice for Dakota.”
“What happened to Dakota?” asked a commenter. “Get the tapes out.” One said, “What are you going to do with Dakota?”
Similar comments have been posted on Instagram, and on Wednesday, Scenthound left a lengthy statement in a recent post.
@eatmyambition @Scenthound DO WHAT RIGHT #justicefordakota #fyp #fypppppppppppppppppppp #fypシ ♬ original sound – India Danna
“We understand the passion and concern for Dakota – and everyone wants to ensure her, and the safety of all pets while in our care,” it read. “We want to make it clear that we share that sentiment with you. This is an absolutely heartbreaking experience for any pet parent to navigate. When we heard about Dakota’s condition, we immediately conducted an internal investigation , carefully reviewed the video footage, and found no incidents that occurred in Dakota’s service that would cause harm.”
The statement continued: “To provide reassurance, we invited Cobb County Animal Services to come and review the footage to provide a third-party verification that Dakota was treated with the utmost care during her visit. Treated We treat every dog that comes to Scenthound as if it were our own, which means the safety and well-being of each pet is our top priority. Because of this, this pup received the highest quality care possible pet that was injured, and we really hope Dakota makes a full recovery soon.”
Scenthound did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram direct message.
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*First Published: May 9, 2024, 4:00 pm CDT
Charlotte Colombo
Charlotte is a regular Daily Dot contributor with bylines on Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. He holds a Masters’s degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.
