'Must maintain constant physical supervision of animals': AVS updates Code of Animal Welfare for pet groomers, releases new code for dog trainers

The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) has updated their Code of Animal Welfare (COAW) for pet groomers and released a new COAW for dog trainers.After recent high-profile cases of pets dying while unattended at grooming salons, one of the salient points made by AVS, a National Parks Board (NParks) cluster, is that animals are not to be left unattended while tethered or in group settings.In 2025, a poodle was left alone in a crate at a grooming salon, during which it appeared distressed in CCTV footage. It died with alleged blood on its paws and mouth.A year earlier, a corgi died after it fell from a grooming table while it was unattended and hanged itself on its leash.The same year, a home-based groomer lost a dog which was then struck by a vehicle and died.