BOCA RATON, Fla. — A South Florida dog groomer has been arrested on two counts of animal cruelty.
A Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officer received a phone call Monday from a man regarding allegations of animal abuse by a groomer at American Dog Pet Grooming in Boca Raton.
The man, who was calling on behalf of his wife who only speaks Portuguese, sent the officer five videos.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the videos show one of the co-owners of the business, Plinio Roberto De Camargo Jr., 47, abusing dogs.
According to an arrest affidavit, the videos show Camargo "manhandling" dogs, striking some with a closed fist punch, twisting a dog's hair, picking up a dog only by holding its hair, and pulling a dog's hair "in a cruel and inhumane manner".
Stephen Spiegel, a customer of American Dog Pet Grooming has been taking his dog there since 2020.
"We really like the people that run it and we’ve been happy with the service," Spiegel said. "I don’t think ill be running anywhere else. They seem like nice people so I like to support them but I’d like to find out more because our dog is very important to us."
Camargo was arrested on Friday, October 28, 2022 and is facing two counts of cruelty to animals.