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Police: Florida groomer charged after picking up German shepherd by tail, hitting dog on back

James Cordell Doughty Suthann is charged with felony cruelty to animals after he picked up a vertran's service dog by its tail.

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. — A groomer in Satellite Beach, Florida, is facing charges after he violently handled a veteran’s service dog earlier this month, authorities say.

According to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, James Cordell Doughty Suthann, 37,  was working at a local grooming salon Feb. 6 when he became angry with an 8-year-old German shepherd who wouldn't stand still.

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“The entire incident is captured on video and at one point you see Suthann cinch the pet’s head down so tight that the dog could no longer move and was obviously in pain,” Ivey said. “Further in the video, Suthann grabs the dog’s tail and completely lifts him off the ground causing the pet’s tail to be twisted a full 360 degrees and to be broken to the extent it could not be reattached.

“To make matters worse, at the end of the incident, Suthann had the audacity to strike the dog in the back of the head with the nozzle from the hose he was using to bathe him.”

Ivey said the video was so graphic he would not post it.

“It is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to watch in my 39 years of law enforcement because of the horrific and cruel way the pet was treated,” he said.

According to Brevard County Sheriff's Office booking records, this is not Suthann's first encounter with authorities. Past charges include aggravated stalking, a domestic violence injunction and criminal mischief.

The dog, named TT, had her tail amputated in emergency surgery, Ivey said. She is the service dog of a veteran who has post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The owner was devastated by the acts of cruelty against his pet and companion,” Ivey said.

TT is currently recovering.

Suthann has since been fired from his place of employment and charged with felony cruelty to animals. Ivey said he personally walked Suthann to Brevard County Jail. He has since been released on $2,000 bond.