Florida groomer sentenced to jail after video shows abuse of service dog

A Florida man was sentenced to 180 days in jail on Monday after he violently abused a service dog during a grooming appointment captured on video, Orlando CBS News affiliate WKMG reported.

James Suthann has also been ordered to pay $5,278.61 in restitution, and he faces three years’ probation.

In February 2019, Suthann was seen on video abusing a service dog named TT. 

In video from February 2019 released by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Suthann is seen forcibly grabbing the tail of a German shepherd named TT, breaking the tail, which had to be amputated.

TT’s owner Rick McGuire, a disabled veteran, told WKMG that he’s happy with Suthann’s sentence but added that TT is still suffering from the abuse. 

“The part now is her hips and her tail, or where her tail was, is all arthritis now,” McGuire said. “She doesn’t have a voice. I am her voice. The videotape is her voice today.”

Prosecutors had sought a yearlong sentence in the case.

“You don’t want to see your dog get hurt. You don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” McGuire said. “I believe finally now there’s some justice.”