In addition to contacting your local animal shelter to see if there is anything they can suggest (collecting blankets, newspapers, and other items the shelter may need), I suggest you visit a few websites that offer several suggestions for people of your age to get involved in helping animals. Here are the websites: www.dosomething.org; www.humaneteen.org; www.clubsaga.org. As you will see from the websites, there’s a lot you can do, even at your age, to make this world a better place for animals.

If the groomer is not willing to compensate your mother for the veterinary bills, your mother can sue for the veterinary expenses. If the veterinary expenses are less than $5000, she should consider Small Claims Court. The groomer very possibly has insurance that may cover such a claim. Sometimes insurance companies settle claims but if they feel the claim is without merit, they may not. If the case goes to court, the court would determine whether or not the groomer was negligent. The court, based on the evidence presented, would consider whether the groomer should have used greater care, particularly given the past history of lumps on the dog, whether the lumps were easily detectible (certified records from a veterinarian may help with this), whether your mother should have pointed out the lumps, whether the groomer knew a lump was cut and did not tell your mother, and so on.