YouTuber Brooke Houts Under Investigation for Animal Abuse After Denying She Hit and Spit on Her Dog

They’re taking this very seriously. After YouTuber Brooke Houts responded to claims that she abused her dog, a Doberman named Sphinx, a Los Angeles Police Department media representative said the department is launching an investigation into the incident. “Our Animal Cruelty Task Force has received numerous complaints about the video you’re speaking of and we are currently looking into the matter,” the LAPD rep told The Verge on August 7.  You can watch the clip here, but please be aware that the content may disturb some viewers.

Houts, 20, claimed in a statement that she did not “spit on” or “hurt” her dog in a video where she appeared to smack her pet. An unedited version of the video was previously uploaded to YouTube and taken down shortly after, but it was too late — the video went viral and caused a lot of backlash. Houts said in her statement shared to Twitter after the video leaked, “I want to address the uncut footage … I’m clearly actually frustrated [in the video]. 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. 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.”

https://twitter.com/brookehouts/status/1158906113741299712

She continued, “I should not have acted that way towards him … [But] 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. My dog, in no way, shape or form was hurt by any action that I displayed in this video. … I also did NOT spit on my dog, but I understand how it could look like I did. Did I get in his face and take unnecessary actions towards him? Yes, I did, and that was not the way I should’ve handled the situation.”

The YouTube personality also claimed that she’s working on her own behavioral issues, too. “I know I’ll be in many future situations where he’s being physical, but I will not respond this way again,” she said. “I am getting my dog into training, and I’m looking at ways to improve how I personally train him at home. … I know that I am a great dog mom (but not perfect). … I’m just explaining what my day-to-day life is really like, whether you believe me or not.” However, it might not matter what she tells her fans — it’s the LAPD she’ll have to explain her actions to now.