- Florida, USA -
⚠️WARNING⚠️The article contains details some of you may find distressing⚠️
The Sarasota Police Department arrested 41-years-old DIANA JENEANE STEVENS (pictured), owner of Woof Gang Bakery and Dog Grooming franchise.
In a press release, police said that detectives were originally investigating the business at 1129 South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota for financial crimes when they “uncovered a pattern of animal abuse” by STEVENS.
According to the Probable Cause Affidavit obtained by Voice For Us through a public search, former employees of Woof Gang Bakery and Dog Grooming were interviewed in reference to the financial crimes investigation, and they gave statements of what they witnessed at the business.
1. Witness 1 stated that she was a groomer at the business and saw STEVENS “abuse animals she was grooming in the store.” Witness 1 also said STEVENS “would smack and hit dogs, she was rough with cats and would hit them, she would jerk the cats around and flip them over and she could cause the cat's neck to break.” She went on to say that STEVENS “would also grab the dogs by the scruff out of frustration and she was aggressive with them while she groomed them.” According to Witness 1, some of the customers “complained that their dogs were acting differently when they brought them home.”
Additionally, Witness 1 told detectives that STEVENS and Witness 2 bought many puppies, including French Bulldog puppies, to sell. The French Bulldog Puppies were kept at the business in a small kennel covered in their own feces and urine. The puppies were left at the shop overnight unsupervised. One of the puppies, a male, sadly died and according to Witness 1, STEVENS put the furbaby into a cardboard box. Witness 1 is not sure what STEVENS did with him.
2. Witness 2 described to detectives four separate incidents where STEVENS was abusive to animals. One of them involved a 75lb-80lb tan Goldendoodle. According to Witness 2, STEVENS was bathing the dog and became “upset when the dog didn’t comply.” Witness 2 said STEVENS said, “this dog is a piece of shit” and punched him/her with a closed fist several times in the ribs and abdomen. While punching the furbaby, STEVENS was yelling “fuck you” to the dog. Witness 2 stated she intervened and later that night, she received a text from STEVENS in which she apologized for her behavior.
· In a different incident, STEVENS was going to bathe and groom a white Persian-Ragdoll cat. She became frustrated with the furbaby, and she began “slinging the cat around, she got scratched by the cat and began shaking it.” STEVENS proceeded to grab the cat by the scruff and swung him/her in the wall. Witness 2 stated she stepped in and took the cat from STEVENS and she finished bathing and grooming the furbaby.
· A third incident described by Witness 2, involved a Bombay cat whom STEVENS was about to bathe and groom. Witness 2 saw STEVENS grab him/her and slam him/her multiple times into the table. STEVENS also grabbed the cat’s tiny head and slammed it into the table. As she continued to bathe and groom the cat, STEVENS smacked the furbaby several times prompting Witness 4 to intervene.
· Another abusive incident occurred at the expense of a small red Goldendoodle. The furbaby was afraid of the blow dryer and he/she peed on him/herself leading STEVENS to wash the dog again. STEVENS became “upset” and grabbed the dog by the scruff and threw him/her into the tub. She then grabbed the dog by the scruff again and threw him/her across the room onto the drying table. She proceeded to pin the dog down and “forced the blow dryer into the dog's face.” The dog became so afraid he/she pooped on his/herself and had to be washed again. At this point, an employee stepped in and took over washing the dog because STEVENS “was getting aggressive with the dog.”
· Regarding the death of the French Bulldog puppy, Witness 2 stated she received a call from STEVENS’ mother to let her know that the puppy was found “unresponsive” and Witness 2 took the puppy to the vet for a necropsy. The affidavit reports that the puppy “choked and died.”
In early 2023, Witness 2 and STEVENS went to Georgia to buy the puppies and came back with 8-10 of them with the intention to sell them for $5,000 to $12,000 each.
According to the affidavit, Witness 1, 2, 3, and 4 told detectives that there was surveillance video at the grooming business so a search warrant was obtained and executed.
Police said video evidence of animal abuse was collected and the footage “appears to support allegations that Stevens beat, berated, and tossed animals as she groomed them.”
Footage from August 2023 added more devastating details to the incidents described by the witnesses. Video showed cats being thrown into their carrier, dogs being lifted up by their tail, dogs being pulled by their ears and then cower in fear, dogs being pulled by their neck and being hit while hanging in the air, dogs being yelled at because STEVENS was being rough at cutting their nails.
In all the incidents described in the affidavit, STEVENS was consistently impatient with the furbabies, and was rough and forceful in her handling of them.
Police said that STEVENS, of North Fort Myers, was arrested on March 8, 2024.
Online records show she is being held at the Sarasota County Jail on five felony charges of aggravated animal abuse and five misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
According to court records, STEVENS is expected at Sarasota County Circuit Court on April 19, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
The Sarasota Police Department encourages anyone with information on this case to email Detective Sullivan at jessica.sullivan@sarasotaFL.gov.
Alternatively, please leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com. Thank you!
The name of the deceased French Bulldog puppy was not disclosed. I took the liberty of naming him Dandelion for the tribute image. Should his given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.
Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the official press release by the Sarasota Police Department.
Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.
In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.
STEVENS’ mugshot shared from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
