Nicola Peltz Blames Dog Groomer for Pets’ Deaths

Grieving heiress Nicola Peltz is claiming that the groomer responsible for the death of her chihuahua Nala is also to blame for the death of her French bulldog Frankie, DailyMail.com can reveal.

And she has enlisted the services of a high-powered celebrity attorney known as ‘Mad Dog’ in her legal battle against the New York pet grooming company she claims is responsible.

The grooming business at the center of the controversy, HoundSpa LLC, along with its owner Deborah Gittleman and groomer Jony Ceballos, have denied all allegations. 

In her lawsuit, she alleges Ceballos’ history of ‘intentional and malicious abuse of dogs’ caused the death of her dog Nala and that when she went into the van, she was a ‘healthy, happy dog’ but returned in ‘severe physical distress’.

Veterinary records revealed eight-year-old Nala suffered from fluid in her lungs, neurological issues and a dangerously rapid heart rate before her untimely death.

Nicola, 30, was recently ordered to appear for her deposition by October 30 of this year.

Now the billionaire heiress, AGE, wife of Brooklyn Beckham, has doubled down on her accusations, asserting that HoundSpa is to blame for not only Nala’s death but also her French bulldog Frankie and for injuring her brother’s dog Banksy, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.

Renowned Hollywood lawyer Marty Singer, not so affectionately known as ‘Mad Dog,’ has been hired to prove the company’s negligence as he’s represented other A-listers such as Kim Kardashian and Michael Jackson. 

The NY Supreme Court has ordered that both parties disclose vital documents. Nala’s necropsy report must be produced by Nicola by July 1 and the grooming company’s insurance documents by May 30. 

That same document, obtained by DailyMail.com, also revealed that a judge has requested Nicola’s presence in court for a deposition before October 30.

In Nicola’s lawsuit, which was filed in July of last year, she alleged that Ceballos caused the death of her ‘healthy dog’ by ‘intentional and malicious abuse’, claiming that this isn’t the first time there’s been a complaint against him.

She called the firm and Ceballos’ conduct ‘severe and outrageous’ after discovering Nala ‘was in serious physical distress with her lungs full of water, chest pulsating and hyperventilating’.

When her dog’s health began to crash after the routine grooming appointment, she was rushed to the vet, but within a few hours, the small pup passed away. 

The star said she has been left in emotional distress over the ordeal, especially given she witnessed Nala’s death, and that her other dog Angel screams and shakes in terror when left alone after a grooming at the same place.  

However, from this tragedy also came another bombshell revelation for Nicola, who claimed it was after the death of Nala that she ‘understood’ Ceballos was also to blame for her French Bulldog Frankie’s death in 2021. 

‘In the summer of 2021, Nicola had used HoundSpa to groom her French bulldog, named Frankie. Ceballos was the groomer whom HoundSpa sent for Frankie’s grooming. 

‘Upon returning from his grooming with Ceballos, Frankie was in visible physical distress, repeatedly stumbling as if he had been sedated.

The actress said that after taking him to multiple neurologists, one found that Frankie had fluid in his brain following up with a question on whether or not he had been in an accident. 

His worsening health caused the Frenchie to have his eye removed when part of his brain ‘started concaving on itself’ and he died a few months later. 

‘Nicola cried and cared for her dog – not at that time suspecting that an individual charged with caring for her dog would have hurt him.’

She adds that another dog Angel still suffers from trauma after being groomed by Ceballos ‘and has developed a fear of being left in a room alone and whenever left in a room alone, she starts to shake and scream in apparent terror’.

Nicola also stated that her brother and his girlfriend’s dog Banksy, who suffers from skin allergies, had a ‘traumatic’ experience with the groomer when he let the medicated allergy shampoo get into her eyes, causing them to be ‘completely shut’. 

Despite the couple repeatedly warning Ceballos to avoid getting it in their eyes, Nicola claimed he ‘showed clear frustration’ and ‘rushed the conversation’.

In the aftermath of that grooming, Banksy’s eyes were ‘red and irritated, and had puss coming out of them’.  

But after they complained to Gittleman about Ceballos, no action was allegedly taken.

In line with Nicola’s claims, there are a slew of negative Google reviews on the company’s page, such as from dog owner Lauren Krasne who alleged that her dog left the appointment with razor-inflicted cuts on her chest and stomach.  

‘Hound Spa was by far the worst grooming job my dogs have ever gotten. My younger dog came back to me with cuts from the razor on her chest and stomach and the groomer did not say anything about it,’ Krasne raged in her review. 

‘Do not put your dogs in a dangerous situation and use them.

Another reviewer, Carmen Santos said they would give a ‘minus one’ rating if they could after her three dogs were treated by Ceballos, saying that they ‘would shake when they would see Johnny [sic]’, who had a ‘strange/bad vibe’ and ‘wasn’t friendly’.

Santos also added that the firm uses the car park of Northwind Kennels, in Bedford, whose owner Penny Berk was arrested last year on seven counts of animal cruelty.

Santos adds: ‘The fact that she was using the parking lot of Northwind Kennel – whose owner just got arrested two weeks ago for animal cruelty – is no coincidence. They are probably both in collusion. STAY AWAY from HOUND SPA.’

It’s alleged that Berk failed to properly treat a Bernese Mountain dog and her four puppies, who had to be put down, along with two other hounds. Berk had been investigated for a year by the SPCA Westchester Humane Law Enforcement Unit.

It appears Santos is correct as HoundSpa’s Facebook and website still gives the same address as Northwind Kennels. Although its FB page hasn’t been updated for two years HoundSpa is now based in nearby Mount Kisco. 

In Nicola’s complaint, she mentioned another awful review. 

‘Gittleman should never have allowed Ceballos to continue to groom pets after receiving multiple customer complaints concerning his mistreatment and abuse of animals. 

‘For example, a former customer described using HoundSpa to groom her puppy as a “Horrible experience []”.

‘The customer stated how the groomer “Jonny . . . mishandled the puppy (in front of several witnesses) in such a horrific manner the pup peed as he grabbed them!”, that “all [of the puppy’s] desensitization training has been replaced by trauma”.

‘The reviewer continued that following her dog’s grooming, the “poor pup has been left traumatized just seeing the van”.

‘The customer also stated that she “can only imagine the treatment being done inside the closed van” and that she is “genuinely concerned for the well-being of [HoundSpa’s and its groomer’s] own dogs if this is the treatment they are receiving”.

‘She ended by saying she “highly DO NOT recommend them for the sake and love of your pets”.’