Dog groomer fired after videos allegedly show her punching, slapping customers’ pets

By WSOC via CNN Newsource

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WSOC) – An investigation is underway into a North Carolina dog groomer after videos surfaced of the worker acting aggressively toward multiple dogs.

A woman posted videos on Facebook that she says her sister took last month while working at Classy Critters Pet Resort and Spa in Mooresville. The videos show a worker there grooming dogs with force.

The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, says she felt it was important to post the videos to protect other pets from abuse.

“I felt sick to my stomach, angry and very upset for someone to be allowed to do this,” she said. “I just want to see some accountability.”

One video allegedly shows a worker spinning a dog around by the neck then slapping it several times. Another allegedly shows the same worker punching a dog five times.

The woman who posted the videos says her sister, who worked at Classy Critters until Friday, wanted proof of what was happening behind closed doors.

“She had reported this verbally to the owner of the establishment, and after numerous times and nothing being done, my sister thought, ‘Oh, I might need proof,’” the woman said.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the owner of Classy Critters wrote the employee in the video no longer works there and called the behavior in the video “totally unacceptable.”

Despite the videos, customer Tracy Deal says she plans to continue taking her pets to Classy Critters.

“As an owner, you try to hire the best quality staff people in there, but you can’t watch them all the time,” she said.

Iredell County Animal Services says it’s aware of the videos, and there is an active investigation. No one has been arrested or charged.

Copyright 2025 WSOC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

Videos Show Pet Groomer Punch, Slam Dogs at Facility — and Owner Allegedly Threatened Whistleblower

The owner of Classy Critters Pet Resort & Spa is also being accused of threatening the person who shared videos of the abuse online

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Samira Asma-Sadeque

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NEED TO KNOW

• Classy Critters Pet Resort & Spa in North Carolina is facing online backlash after videos were released showing an employee abusing dogs in their care
• The person in the video is no longer employed at the facility, the owner has said on Facebook
• The owner is being accused of threatening the person who originally shared the videos

A series of videos of a North Carolina pet groomer have surfaced online showing abuse of two dogs as they are being bathed, sparking online backlash. 

Three videos, which were posted on Facebook on Friday, July 18, depict alleged abuse taking place at the Classy Critters Pet Resort & Spa in Mooresville, N.C. The poster, Summer Hilton, said her sister worked at Classy Critters and took the video.

The facility responded to the allegations on Facebook the following day, acknowledging the videos showed one of their employees — and claiming they have since been let go. 

One video shows the employee punch a dog several times while bathing it. Another video shows her slamming a dog against the wall several times before it cowers against the wall.

In another video, she is seen pushing the dog’s head away from the wall where its leash is attached, and then punching the dog in the face.

A third video shows another dog struggling in her care as the employee punches it several times.

Hilton claimed that her sister, who is not named in the post, was allegedly told by the owner in June that she would address the issue, but the person was still employed at the facility as of the posting of the video over the weekend.

The owner of Classy Critters, who goes only by Pam, said in a post on Saturday, July 19, that the employee no longer works there. 

“I have zero tolerance for any type of abuse with the animals in my care,” she wrote in part of the post. 

“I hope that the actions of one bad egg does not reflect on Classy Critters and the entire staff,” she added. 

Pam is also being accused of threatening Hilton’s sister with a lawsuit. 

In screenshots of messages, a sender by the name of “Pam At Classy Critters,” is seen telling the recipient: “I will sue you in a heart beat if you don’t take down that post. And I can do it.” 

After the recipient responds, “it’s down,” the sender responds: “You don’t want to mess with me little girl.”

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Pam has not commented on the allegations of threats in her Facebook post, and did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comments on Tuesday. 

The Iredell County sheriff’s office tells PEOPLE both the sheriff’s office and Iredell county animal control are investigating the case.

Animal control officials were not immediately available for comments.

Groomer arrested after videos allegedly showing her attacking dogs at work go viral

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by WKRCThu, July 24, 2025 at 2:44 PM

Updated Thu, July 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM

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A dog groomer was arrested after authorities learned about videos posted to social media that allegedly depicted the woman attacking dogs in her care. (Viewer video via CNN Newsource, Iredell County Sheriff’s Office)

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• Animal cruelty
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WKRC) – A dog groomer was arrested after authorities discovered videos on social media that allegedly depicted the woman attacking dogs in her care while at work.

Sheriff Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office released an update on Wednesday afternoon regarding videos allegedly depicting 28-year-old Kirsten Rhea Taylor, a dog groomer at Classy Critters, attacking and abusing dogs while grooming them.

Previous coverage:

Campbell explained that authorities first learned about two videos on July 18 that had been posted to social media by “a concerned coworker.” The videos reportedly showed an employee, identified as Taylor, “repeatedly striking and mishandling dogs during grooming sessions.”auto640x360, 1041kbps854x480, 1241kbps1280x720, 3511kbps0.25×0.5xnormal1.5x2x

A dog groomer was arrested after authorities learned about videos posted to social media that allegedly depicted the woman attacking dogs in her care. (Viewer video via CNN Newsource)

“These dogs were verified to be clients’ pets brought in for routine care,” Campbell wrote. “The videos revealed troubling behavior involving at least four separate dogs being treated in a clearly aggressive and abusive manner.”

Campbell did not specify when Taylor was arrested, but confirmed in his update that the woman had been arrested and was charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty.