Shocking CCTV footage captured a woman dragging a small dog behind an electric scooter for at least 100 yards at 15mph.
The dog, named Zebra, was injured so badly that it needed veterinary treatment.
The video, which was taken in Bakersfield, California, prompted outrage among locals.
Brandon Sanders, who also saw the woman pulling the dog along, took to Facebook to criticise the “animal cruelty” and to shame the woman.
But the woman's lawyer said she loves animals and that she was "confident that law enforcement would rule it out as an isolated incident."
Mr Sanders said: “While riding bikes downtown on A and 20th street, we watched this awesome human being riding one of the Bird Scooter’s at about 15 MPH dragging this poor dog behind her by a leash.
“The dog was on its side and we watched it being dragged at least 100 yards and there’s no telling how long she had been dragging it for before we saw her.
“You can see that its paws are all completely bloody. I was unable to get a good picture of the poor dog’s side.
“Sat on the phone with Bakersfield Police Department while following her all the way back to an apartment on 24th St. She had the nerve to tell us that “s*** happens, just like with kids”!
"Ummm yeah I don’t drag my kids down the street by a leash.
“She told me that she was going to call the cops on me for harassment and threatened me but she sure didn’t open the door and have something to say when the police went knocking on the door.”
Police said the dog doesn’t belong to the woman seen using the scooter, and has been returned to its owner.
The woman has hired a lawyer who gave a statement to local news station Bakersfield Now.
They said: "We have been 100 per cent cooperative with the Bakersfield Police Department and their investigation.
“My client loves animals, especially Zebra, the dog who was shown in the video.
“We are confident that once law enforcement has concluded their investigation that this will be ruled an isolated incident.
“The dog is doing great and expected to have a full and short recovery.”
