Alleged: Dog came home from Petco with taped-on ears

HONOLULU - Two dog owners filed a lawsuit claiming their pets were mutilated while being groomed at an Oahu pet store.

The lawsuit filed in state court Monday said plaintiff Gladys Kapuwai dropped off her dog Dodo for grooming at the Petco store in Kaneohe in July, and that the pet was returned with its ear cut off.

In addition, there appeared to be an effort to "reattach, glue or sew" the ear back on, the lawsuit states.

"I couldn't believe what they did. I started crying because this is our baby, too, you know." Kapuwai told Hawaii News Now.

The plaintiffs claim they suffered serious emotional distress and anxiety, and said they are seeking unspecified damages.

San Diego-based Petco said in a statement that it takes "any animal care concerns very seriously and we're actively investigating these cases."

"We can't comment on the specifics at this time, but we can tell you that we have very strong standards and policies in place for the care and treatment of animals in our grooming salon and we provide training on those standards and policies for our grooming associates," the statement said.

Estelle Green also claimed her dog Hope was injured during a grooming visit to the store that left the tip of its tail cut off and bleeding.

Hope had other injuries, "including cut eye lashes and whiskers and bleeding toes," the lawsuit said.