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An animal groomer in Florida allegedly subjected cats and dogs to horrific treatment while the pets were in her care, police said.
According to an affidavit from the Sarasota Police Department, citing witness testimony, 41-year-old Diana Stevens allegedly lost her cool on a number of people’s precious pets at a Woof Gang Bakery and Dog Grooming franchise in Sarasota, Florida.
Authorities, citing surveillance footage, said that Stevens was heard calling a dog a “piece of sh—.”
“Stevens was bathing a tan golden doodle and the dog was being difficult,” authorities wrote in the affidavit. “Stevens became very upset and punched it with closed fists several times in the ribs and abdomen.”
Authorities said that while she punched the innocent dog, she yelled, “fu– you.”
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Diana Stevens was arrested on five counts of felony aggravated animal abuse and five counts of felony animal cruelty. (Sarasota Police Department)
In another instance, the owner of the grooming salon was seen yanking a dog by his neck.
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“Stevens finally gets the noose around the dog’s neck, tightens it all the way and then yanks the dog up by the noose,” police wrote regarding footage dated Aug. 16, 2023. “The dog is hanging by its neck in the air, she hits the dog twice and the dog spins around in the air.”
She allegedly jerked cats around and flipped them over, and she tethered them as well.
“Witness #1 stated tethering a cat could cause the cat’s neck to break,” authorities said. “Stevens would also grab the dogs by the scruff out of frustration, and she was aggressive with them while she groomed them. Witness #1 stated some of the customers complained that their dogs were acting differently when they brought them home.”
Stevens also purchased French bulldog puppies and kept them in unsanitary conditions.
One of the puppies died after they were left overnight and unsupervised in a “sink/bathing tub,” police said.
Diana Stevens was a franchise owner of Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming in Sarasota, Florida.
Investigators with the Sarasota Police Department told FOX 13 that it was all captured on surveillance camera.
“To press play, rewind, pause and to explain in such detail the violence that was occurring in this business is hard on anybody,” said Cynthia McLaughlin with the Sarasota Police Department.
McLaughlin said that the five incidents recorded were captured in just a 17-day period.
“There’s no way to know how long this has been going on. The 5 incidents we found on surveillance video was just a 17-day period last year,” McLaughlin said.
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Detectives, using a search warrant, got video from the store that showed the abuse. They said that the video appears to support allegations that Stevens beat, berated, and tossed animals as she groomed them.
Stevens was arrested on five counts of felony aggravated animal abuse and five counts of felony animal cruelty.
Fox News has reached out to Woof Gang Bakery’s corporate offices.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
