THE RSPCA is investigating after a dog had all its fur shaved off at a grooming salon in Southbourne.

Snieguole Ghuman, 50, took her white Alsatian, Simba, seven, to Starz Grooming Salon, on Southbourne Grove, for a wash and brush last Saturday, October 27, but the dog was returned to her without any fur on its body.

When she asked why, Snieguole was told that Simba’s fur was too matted to brush and so it had to be shaved off, for which she would be charged £70.

Her daughter, Bridget Pritchett, 28, who spoke to Daily Echo on her mum’s behalf, said: “The owner of the salon said that his coat is really matted and so she contacted the RSPCA about it.

“But the lady who came from the RSPCA said it is fine, although she had never seen such a thick coat on an Alsatian. She could understand that it may get tangled, as he goes in the sea and mud a lot.

“If there was any matting, it would have been on his belly, so I don’t know why she shaved all his fur off up to his neck.

“Our Lion King now looks like an Egyptian hairless cat.

“Mum also had to take him to the vet’s because he had some blood coming off his legs.

“So it has gone from her reporting our dog to the RSPCA, to us reporting her.

“They never called to ask if it was okay to shave Simba’s fur off, they just went ahead and did it.”

Georgia Barnett, 19, who runs Starz, said: “I’ve never seen a dog with such matted fur.

“She had no choice and back in March it was so matted then and I told her that.

“I don’t care what my customers think. I don’t take any notice of what the owners want, I want to do what is best for the dog and their welfare and happiness.

“I phoned the RSPCA and they said that it was the right thing to do.

“She wanted the dog’s fur to be washed and brushed and I said that I would do the best that I can.

“The dog’s skin was bright red from where the fur was so matted.

“The RSPCA said to keep the fur for them to see, which I have done.

“I’m not saying that she is cruel to the dog, but she needs to brush it more.

“The dog was in perfect condition when it left the place and there were no cuts on its legs.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA confirmed that they had received a complaint but said would not comment further while the issue was under investigation.

UPDATE: Since the Echo spoke to Starz they have uploaded some pictures of the fur removed from Simba to their Facebook page. We weren't given these images at the time the story was published but you can see them here.