A Florida animal groomer allegedly mistreated dogs and cats while caring for them, police said.
According to a Sarasota Police Department affidavit citing witness statements, 41-year-old Diana Stevens took care of numerous people at the Woof Gang Bakery and Dog Grooming franchise in Sarasota, Florida. It is said that he lost his cool when it came to pets.
Citing surveillance footage, authorities said Stevens can be heard calling the dog a “fuck.”
“Mr. Stevens was bathing his tanned Goldendoodle, but the dog was having difficulty,” authorities said in the affidavit. “Stevens became very agitated and punched him in the ribs and abdomen several times with his fist.”
Authorities say she yelled, “Fuck you,” as she punched the innocent dog.
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Diana Stevens was arrested on five counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and five counts of felony animal cruelty. (Sarasota Police Department)
In another instance, a grooming salon owner was seen pulling a dog by the neck.
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“Stevens finally places the noose around the dog’s neck, tightens it all the way, and pulls the dog up with the noose,” police wrote about the Aug. 16, 2023 video. “The dog grabbed her by the neck and was hanging in the air and she punched the dog twice and the dog spun in the air.”
She allegedly knocked the cat over, flipped it over, and chained it.
“Witness 1 stated that tethering a cat could result in a broken neck,” authorities said. “Mr Stevens was aggressive towards the dog while grooming him, sometimes grabbing the dog by the scruff of the neck in frustration. Witness 1 said some of the customers brought the dog home. He said some people complained that things looked different when they returned.
Stevens also purchased a French bulldog puppy and kept it in unsanitary conditions.
Police said one of the puppies died after being left unsupervised in a “sink/bathtub” overnight.
Diana Stevens was the franchise owner of Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming in Sarasota, Florida.
Investigators with the Sarasota Police Department told FOX 13 the whole thing was recorded on surveillance cameras.
“It’s hard for anyone to press play, rewind, pause, and explain in such detail the violence that was happening in this industry,” said Cynthia McLaughlin of the Sarasota Police Department. That’s true.”
Mr McLaughlin said the five recorded incidents were caught in just 17 days.
“There’s no way to know how long this has been going on. The five incidents caught on surveillance video were over just 17 days last year,” McLaughlin said.
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Detectives used a search warrant to obtain video of the abuse from inside the store. They said the video supports allegations that Stevens punched, punched and threw the animals while grooming them.
Stevens was arrested on five counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and five counts of felony animal cruelty.
Fox News reached out to Wof Gang Bakery’s corporate office.
