Dog owner thought she was picking her pup up after regular grooming — until she looked back and her car seat was covered in blood

A dog owner was met with a nerve-wracking sight soon after her dog returned from a grooming session. Renae, who goes by @40something.homemaker on TikTok, could not believe her eyes when she opened her car door to let her dog out. Her backseat was covered in bloody paw prints that rang alarm bells in her head. The clip stormed the internet with 1.8 million views, shocking people with the bizarre scene. While her pet pooch, Bentley, seemed fine, Renae eventually realized what had caused the bloody chaos. 

Renae shared the viral post with a touch of humor, adding the trending Jet2 advertisement to complement her experience. As she opened the car door, her Goldendoodle jumped out to reveal every dog owner’s nightmare—bloody paws. Though her car seat was evidently wrecked, Renae worried about her pet’s health, wondering what had gone wrong at the grooming session. “The groomer clipped his nail too short and said, ‘It stopped bleeding,’” the caption disclosed. The dog owner, who hails from Saint Paul, Minnesota, recollected the incident in an interview with Newsweek. 

"I was in total shock. I was about halfway home, and I just kept going, knowing there was nothing I could do about it until I got home," Renae said, hinting that she spotted blood while returning from the groomers on July 20, 2025. It was a regular spot for Bentley’s grooming appointments, and the duo had only been headed for a routine session before this scenario traumatized them. Later, Renae washed her pet’s paws and applied ointment for the wounds to heal. “He has black nails, and the quick is hard to see. The bleeding had stopped when I picked him up,” she clarified. As per popular advice, the walk from the grooming store to the car could have “reopened” the bleeding points. 

However, Renae does not question the groomer’s skills. She admitted that she herself has sometimes clipped Bentley’s nails too short. She also appreciated the groomer’s honesty and responsibility in informing her about the bleeding. Nail trims are crucial for a dog's health, but can often be tricky to perform. “So it's not her fault that the bleeding started back up once we were in the car," Renae said. Meanwhile, the post received 93,500 likes and several critical comments. “The groomer needs to pay the cleaning bill,” said @syreetabrown0 and @cdkelly2 mocked, “All of a sudden, everyone’s a dog groomer now.” A few others sided with the groomer and highlighted that clipping dog nails is harder than it looks. 

“I don’t think some people know that cutting dog nails isn’t as easy as it may seem, especially black nails. It’s never intentional, especially if they keep moving,” noted @sheeell.25. Likewise, the dog owner, Renae, also came to her groomer’s defense. “People are so mean to groomers. Accidents happen; I don't think she is a bad groomer,” she said. Despite the close call with a hefty vet bill, Renae said she wouldn’t mind going back to the same groomer again.

You can follow @40something.homemaker on TikTok for more videos.