Florida Pet Spa Owner Chokes, Slaps Dog In Viral Video

A former employee of Happy Puppy Pet Spa in Venice, Florida, secretly taped her former boss brutally mistreating a dog. The video, has received more than 400,000 views since being uploaded on Facebook, Friday.

In the one-minute clip, the owner of the pet spa, Phyliis Lucca, is seen choking, shaking and slapping a dog that is struggling to break free on the grooming table. She is also seen verbally abusing the dog throughout the video.

Although most of her words are drowned by a newsfeed about President Donald Trump going on in the backdrop (the device on which the background noise comes from, stays out of visibility), profanities like "a------" is audible.

Warning: The video might be disturbing for some viewers.

"The dog was picked up by the throat, choked, shacked and then his head slammed on the table," Briana Brady, who recorded the video, told Fox4 describing the video. "It was very hard for me to witness any of that happening."

After the video went viral on social media, Lucca defended herself, telling Fox4 that her treatment of the dog was necessary for the overall health of the animal. "If you see the video, I know it looks bad, but that’s not what I’m doing," Lucca explained. "What the dog did was pass out and she faints and what I did was hold her head and shake her. That’s all."

Days before Brady had the chance to record the video, a client had reportedly left the facility with her puppy, Pumpkin, suffering a broken jaw. However, Lucca held Brady responsible for the damage incurred to the puppy at the time, adding that she will never be able to trust another groomer. "The only one that was in the room alone, with the dog, was Briana. If I get through this, I won't have another groomer in the store because nobody can be trusted now."

Brady and Pumpkin’s owner have pressed charges against Lucca.