Car vs. Dog Grooming Shop in Woodbridge

In a contest between a car and a Woodbridge dog grooming business, the building is down for the count and the car has emerged the winner of round  one - temporarily. According to the business owner, they expect to rebound rapidly.

Those affiliated with Alpha Dog Grooming, a new business at 1669 Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge, are left with a sorry case of the Monday morning blues after the car crashed into their front door at 7:15 a.m., damaging the front of the building so it can’t currently be used as an entrance.

“We have to get the building fixed,” said employee Yael Werthheimer. “The inspector said the house is safe, however, we can’t use the front door.”

The building must be boarded up in front until it is repaired, and signs will be made and hung to direct clients to the back entrance. 

According to Woodbridge police, the car was traveling west on Merritt Avenue and made a right turn onto Litchfield Turnpike (Rt. 69). 

The driver planned to continue north on Rt. 69, but lost control of her vehicle, a 2007 Ford Focus, and drove off the right side of the road, striking the grooming shop and coming to rest at the front door area of the building. Alpha Dog Grooming was closed and unoccupied  at the time of the accident.  The building was subsequently inspected by an official from the Woodbridge Building Department and was allowed to open.  The operator of the vehicle, an 18-year old female, was uninjured and reported that she lost control of the car after a registration (license) plate that she had resting on the car’s front dashboard fell as she made the right turn and got stuck in the steering wheel.  The accident remains under investigation.

While the boarded-up facade may not be pretty, the business will still be functional during repairs,and they expect to be back at work grooming by tomorrow morning. However, the accident is frustrating to the fledgeling shopkeepers.

“We haven’t even had the grand opening yet,” Werthheimer said.

However, she says everything should be fixed up and in working order in plenty of time for the tentatively scheduled Apr. 25 celebration. 

The invading Ford Focus will not be invited as it has already worn out its welcome.