A California pet sitter was caught on camera throwing a puppy to the ground, as revealed by surveillance footage of the incident.
The video showed the woman taking Lucy, an 18-month-old puppy, and slamming her on the ground.
The couple who hired the woman was not home when the incident took place, but was alerted to the incident by a home security camera installed on a cell phone, KABC reported.
In real time, the husband yelled at the pet sitter and told her to leave the premises.
The wife said she raced home after witnessing the incident on her phone, telling CBS Los Angeles that her puppy was not injured.
She added she hired the woman through the dog-sitting service Rover, which she has used multiple times without a problem.
Rover also released a statement after the video of the puppy being slammed made headlines:
The activity depicted in this video is shocking and appalling. We have permanently deactivated this sitter from our platform and will continue to investigate. Any incident of this nature is extremely rare on our platform, and we take it very seriously. Additionally, we have offered to pay for any veterinary expenses that may have been incurred as a result of this incident. We have been assisting local law enforcement with their investigation and will continue to offer support.
The local animal control in Victorville, California, is also investigating the incident.