Here’s Why Colorado is Suing PetSmart Over Its Grooming School

There's no question that there are tens of thousands of dog lovers in Colorado, that's why when you hear about something like this, you can get riled up.

How Many PetSmart Locations Does Colorado Have?

PetSmart, which started out in Phoenix in 1986 as Pet Food, has 35 locations in Colorado as of the summer of 2025, when Colorado launched its lawsuit against the company.

Grooming School Costs Behind Colorado Lawsuit Against PetSmart

It takes a lot of "hutzpah" for a state to take on a big corporation like PetSmart, but when you hear the details, I think you have to back Colorado up. I know I, myself, get "fired up" when I hear about a business pulling a "bait and switch" with its employees.

According the Trail Gazette/Business Den, 106 of their Colorado employees enrolled in the company's pet grooming school, which is implied as being "free," but it is not. If an employee were to attend the school and leave the company soon after, they'd owe PetSmart upwards of $5,300.

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It's only if the employee stays with the company for two years that the fee is "forgiven;" a lesser amount is forgiven if the employee leaves after one year of employment. Employees that moved on before the one or two years had collection agencies coming after them for the school's free.

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Colorado is calling the grooming school a trap, keeping employees from finding another job and having to pay the $5,000; Colorado also states that the school was "substandard," with its certificate not being valid anywhere else when seeking a dog grooming position.