West Bend dog groomer under investigation for animal mistreatment

West Bend dog groomer investigation, incident caught on video

A groomer in West Bend is under investigation for mistreating animals. It comes after a video of her handling a dog went viral.

WEST BEND, Wis. - A groomer in West Bend is under investigation for mistreating animals. It comes after a video of her handling a dog went viral.

He says this is behavior he's seen before, and he couldn't just sit by. He shared that video with the owner of the dog, who posted it online.

It has now sparked a police investigation.

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Incident caught on video

What we know:

It's a video that can be hard to watch, a West Bend groomer handling a small dog.

Still frame from the video

"I witnessed her pulling on the dog, yanking the dog. She smacked the dog a couple of times," said Kyle Wilson.

Kyle Wilson pulled out his phone after a worker alerted him that the owner of "Joy's of Grooming" was mistreating the animal.

He is married to the owner of K&T's Korner Groomer, which leases space in the same building.

Kyle Wilson, who took the video

"She also hit it with the hose, with the blower nozzle. Yanking it by the leg, grabbing it, dragging it and just being really mean to the dog," added Wilson.

Wilson shared his video with the dog's owner, who posted it on social media. It's since gone viral, sparking outrage online.

"It made me really mad and disgusted," said Holly Bechler, who lives near the shop. "I think it’s really important for us as a community to advocate for those animals that don’t have a voice."

Joy's of Grooming

Charges referred

What we know:

West Bend police say they got a complaint Wednesday (May 27) and immediately started investigating, referring animal mistreatment charges to the Washington County District Attorney, which are now under review.

FOX6 called and left messages, and also stopped by the shop to speak to the woman but were told she was unavailable.

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"It’s been recorded before, but now it’s time for it to be known," said Wilson, adding that this isn't the first time this has happened, sharing other videos. He's thankful more people are now paying attention.

Still frame from another video shot by Wilson

"I just hope she learns her lesson."

FOX6 spoke with the owner of the dog in the video. She didn't want to go on camera, but says she was in a state of shock when she saw the video, and ultimately wanted people to know what was taking place at the shop.