Groomer caught smacking puppy in secret video said owner 'told her to hit the dog if it misbehaved'
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A groomer was caught on film smacking a puppy , but claims the owners 'told her' to hit the dog if it misbehaved.
The footage was posted online by Jill Grammer, the owner of the puppy, who was horrified at what she saw at the Happy Dog Grooming parlour in Perth, Western Australia.
She wrote on Facebook: "Never take your beloved pet there as this is the way they are treated."
In the footage the groomer can be heard getting irritated by the pooch, who seems to be struggling while being groomed.
After a few moments, the groomer loses patience and smacks the animal.
A review posted online by the user 'Jillg686' explained: "I have just been given video evidence of groomer yelling at my puppy throwing her grooming tools on the bench and giving my 10 month old puppy a really hard slap just because she turned her head because groomer was in a bad mood.
"I was devastated to see my pup getting treated this way and have been told from someone that has had close ties to this business that it happens a lot.
"Stay away if you don't want your dog mistreated."
But Helen Sayer, who owns the business shown in the video, said the dog was "aggressive" and the owners told her to give her a smack if the dog started to bite.
She told the Eastern Reporter: "The dog in the video was very aggressive.
"We were told if she bites, to give her a smack.
“She kept getting the muzzle off – she bit me three times.
“I may have to smack a dog three or four times a year."
Ms Sayer said that the owner was a regular customer with her previous dog before bringing in her new puppy in the video.
The RSPCA WA is investigating, according to the newspaper.
And in a statement, the Dog Groomers Association of Western Australia condemned the footage.
They said: "As an association we pride ourselves upon high ethical standards set out within our Code of Ethics that all our members must agree to abide by.
"At no point in time do we condone the use of a physical aversive in relation to grooming and handling.
"We promote the application of low stress handling and reinforcement based techniques to assist both the groomer and animal have a comfortable and positive experience."
Ms Grammer later told Daily Mail Australia she had not given permission to hit her dog.