Bradenton Store Captures Man Assaulting 9-Week-Old Puppy on Security Camera: ‘It Was Appalling’

BRADENTON, Fla. – A man in Bradenton was arrested after he was caught on surveillance video hitting a puppy at a downtown business.

Christian Cuello, 30, was arrested earlier this week.

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What we know:

The co-founders of Kava Social Club noticed a customer on Monday who seemed to be treating his nine-week-old puppy harshly.

Co-Founder Ryan Bodie described, “He hadn’t been in here before, really. Brought in a beautiful puppy, and we were kind of just keeping an eye on him. We had a couple of customers inform us that he was being really harsh to the dog.”

Initially, they thought the man might need help training the puppy but soon became concerned.

“We realized right away he’s probably never had a dog before,” Bodie remarked. “He was being aggressive when the puppy didn’t obey him.”

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After some effort to educate the man on proper puppy care, Bodie relayed, “We told him, ‘That’s not how you treat a dog. It’s a puppy; give him a teething toy.'”

The next day, another complaint came in about the man, prompting the co-founders to review security footage.

Co-Founder Sara Lewis noted, “We saw him grabbing the dog by the neck and holding it down by its face. We couldn’t understand what the puppy could have done to deserve that.” They recognized the man’s reaction to normal puppy behavior.

Cuello was seen on video mistreating the puppy—smacking it and pushing it around.

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What they’re saying:

Describing the man’s actions, Bodie stated, “It was disgusting. The strength and aggression he exhibited towards the puppy was unfounded. I had never seen anything like that.”

After reviewing the footage, they contacted the Bradenton Police Department.

“Our officer who took the report had seen that dog before and knew the dog’s owner,” BPD spokeswoman Meredith Censullo explained.

Authorities arrested Cuello and located the puppy’s owner, who had entrusted Cuello with watching the dog without realizing the abuse.

“She seemed unaware of the abuse,” Censullo added, noting that the puppy passed a health check and was current on vaccinations.

“We believe the dog’s owner loves this dog,” Censullo said. “But we want to ensure the animal is safe. Legally, the dog owner has not done anything wrong.”

Bodie and Lewis expressed relief they intervened before the situation escalated.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, maybe speak up,” advised Lewis.

What’s next:

Cuello is charged with animal cruelty and was reportedly on probation for unrelated offenses.