Surveillance video shows pet grooming company employee abusing dog in Miami-Dade

HIALEAH, Florida. — Surveillance video from a Nest camera shows a man wearing a T-shirt with the name of a pet grooming company kicking a dog in the hallway of a Miami-Dade County apartment building on Monday.

Residents of the Jade Winds community at 1770 NE 191 St. in Miami-Dade's Ojus neighborhood, where the abuse occurred, said they could not recognize the dog seen on surveillance video.

Instagram users bombarded Deluxe Mobile Pet Grooming's page with messages. The Hialeah-based company released an apology statement in Spanish and promised to take “serious” action against the employee.

A man in surgical scrubs outside the Hialeah home where the business is registered refused to talk about the video to Local 10 News on Saturday. A covered van was parked off to the side.

In Florida, it is illegal to “unnecessarily torture any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner.” A charge of cruelty to animals is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment or a fine, or both.

Investigators asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.