A YouTuber has denied accusations of animal abuse after she came under fire for a video she accidentally uploaded showing her hitting, pushing and shouting at her dog.
Brooke Houts, 20, from Los Angeles, California, is reportedly being investigated by the LAPD after footage emerged showing her acting aggressively towards her Doberman puppy Sphinx.
The vlogger, who boasts 330,000 subscribers, shared the video this week, which saw her appearing to smack the dog when he tried to lick her, before she quickly deleted it and replaced it with the edited version, titled ‘plastic wrap prank on my doberman!’.
However the footage had already gone viral, and has now been reshared, racking up over 500,000 views and thousands of angry comments, with PETA and celebrities including Jameela Jamil calling for Brooke to be removed from YouTube.
YouTuber Brooke Houts has slammed accusations she is an animal abuser, after suffering fierce backlash when she accidentally uploaded an unedited video which showed her hitting, pushing and shouting at her dog
Brooke, 20, from California, is reportedly being investigated by the LAPD after footage emerged showing her acting aggressively towards her Doberman puppy Sphinx.
Responding to the backlash, and calls for her dog to be removed from her care, Brooke released a statement on Twitter.
She wrote: ‘Anything I say isn’t going to make those who believe I’m a bad person stop believing that, and I’m aware of this.
‘I apologize to anyone who has been effected (sic) negatively by the footage. First off, I want to address the uncut footage. On the day in particular that the video was filmed, and actually this past week, things in my outside life have been less than exceptional.
‘I am not going to play the “victim card” or anything of that sort, but I do want to point out that I am rarely as upset as what was shown in the footage.
The vlogger, who boasts 330,000 followers, shared the video this week, which saw her appearing to smack the dog when he tried to lick her, before she quickly deleted it and replaced it with the edited version, titled ‘plastic wrap prank on my doberman!’.
However the footage had already gone viral, and has now been reshared, racking up over 500,000 viewers and thousands of angry comments, with PETA and celebrities including Jameela Jamil calling for Brooke to be removed from YouTube
Responding to the backlash, and calls for her dog to be removed from her care, Brooke released a statement on Twitter. She wrote: ‘Anything I say isn’t going to make those who believe I’m a bad person stop believing that, and I’m aware of this.’
‘The bubbly, happy-go-lucky Brooke that you often see in my videos is typically an accurate representation of me, but it’s obvious that I’m playing up my mood in this video when I’m clearly actually frustrated.
‘That being said, this does not justify me yelling at my dog in the way that I did, and I’m fully aware of that.’
She continued: ‘Should I have gotten as angry as I did in the video? No. Should I have raised my voice and yelled at him? No.
‘However, when my 75 lb. Doberman is jumping up in my face with his mouth open, I do, as a dog parent, have to show him that this behavior is unacceptable.’
Brooke then concluded by saying: ‘I want to clarify that I am NOT a dog abuser or animal abuser in any way, shape, or form. Anyone who has witnessed or heard true animal abuse will be able to clearly see that.’
Footage appeared to show her being heavy handed with the dog, in unedited footage which she deleted
Followers slammed her behaviour towards the dog, seen, however in a statement Brooke explained she felt she had to discipline her – admitting that she should have handled it differently
But followers continued to slam her actions, with one writing: ‘Nah you don’t need to have that dog and I think you should seek some help if hitting it and treating it the way you did seems like the right thing to do in your head, that sh** made my stomach churn.’
Agreeing, another wrote: ‘I’m not gonna drag you like everyone else but you should seek therapy. No one is perfect but ur using ur dog as a punching bag to get out ur anger.
‘I’ve never owned a dog and I’m disturbed. Work on urself give ur dog to a loving family and find peace within you (sic).’
Elsewhere one angry follower tweeted: ‘What the absolute f***. you clearly spit on your dog, hit him, and yelled at him. nothing you say can justify your actions and you should never own a dog. he wanted to play. that is not how you treat a dog, I don’t care if he isn’t trained.’
The video showed her shouting, pushing and shouting at her Doberman Sphinx
Followers slammed her actions, with one writing: ‘Nah you don’t need to have that dog and I think you should seek some help if hitting it and treating it the way you did seems like the right thing to do in your head, that sh** made my stomach churn.’
Another explained: ‘Your dog was only trying to show you love and you pushed him, pulled him down, spit on him etc. that’s clownery if you ask me. you don’t talk to an animal like that and you definitely don’t act that way towards one either. even playing a prank on an animal is unacceptable.’
And one suggested rehoming, adding: ‘I own a doberman and would love to have the little guy. You are in no position to own such a smart and beautiful breed. Shameful.’
According to The Verge, the LAPD is investigating the incident, after they confirmed to the publication: ‘Our Animal Cruelty Task Force has received numerous complaints about the video you’re speaking of and we are currently looking into the matter.’
Brooke has been contacted for comment.