Nothing makes me feel older than when a "celebrity" makes headlines and I have no idea who they are. This is a prime example. YouTuber Brooke Houts is currently under investigation by the LAPD after she "accidentally" uploaded a video of herself abusing her dog.
Houts uploaded a video of her doing a vlog when her dog enters the room and disrupts her. Houts is then seen allegedly smacking and spitting on her dog. She also yells at him and pushes him into the ground. The footage was supposedly meant to be edited out, and the video was taken down soon after. However, people have downloaded the original video and it has since gone viral.
The video has gained such momentum that the LAPD are investigating.
“Our Animal Cruelty Task Force has received numerous complaints about the video you’re speaking of and we are currently looking into the matter,” an LAPD media representative told The Verge.
Houts quickly goes from a bubbly, happy personality to an aggressive and angry one, and that's part of the reason people are so upset. She's clearly putting on an act for the camera, and now people are wondering just how "authentic" she really is. Fellow YouTuber Logan Paul has commented on the situation, saying:
i try my best to avoid slamming people on twitter because i know what it’s like to be on the receiving end (and rightfully so), but this video of that girl hitting & spitting on her dog is remarkably grotesque, and irks me for many reasons:
1.) im terrified by the on-camera personality shift she puts on when she’s “performing” ... one thing ive always tried to do is be authentic, sometimes too authentic, and i’d bet an unhealthy amount of creators wear a mask just as ugly
2.) discipline your animals should they misbehave. i get it. but despite the hitting, the spitting is a totally unwarranted, inappropriate, and vile display of energy that makes this woman completely unfit to own that dog
3.) somehow, even after the bullsh*t, the animal still shows her unconditional love... bc he doesn’t know any better. ive said this on the podcast before, humans don’t deserve dogs...
Houts decide to release a statement on the matter, but it's completely confusing. She writes almost 1,000 words about how she's not trying to defend or excuse her actions...and the entire time she's defending and excusing them. Take a read.
To everyone who has been commenting on my social media as of recently: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 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 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.
Houts tried to justify her disciplinary choices, even talking about how big the dog is.
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. But I want to make it know, REGARDLESS of what my dog does, I should not have acted that way towards him.
She also says the dog wasn't physically or audibly in pain, so it wasn't as bad as it seems.
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 know people are going to say 'you don't know how he really feels' and this is true. But if he was audibly and physically in pain, it would be a different story. 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. Did I spit on my dog? No.
Then, Houts goes on to blame the fact that she can't afford proper training for the dog.
My family and I are in the process of getting him training. The training that I have been looking at for him is VERY expensive, because it'd have to be 1-on-1 with a trainer. Ever since he was attacked at the dog park, he isn't okay with being around other dogs. He sticks to me like velcro if he is in the presence of another dog, even a little chihuahua. I just can't see him getting what he needs from a group training environment. That being said, I know I personally can learn more effective techniques to get his energy out and keep him disciplined as well.
Newsflash: if you can't afford to properly train your dog, you can't afford your dog. It doesn't give you an excuse to treat it poorly. Houts continues to say that she isn't that kind of person who hurts animals.
Anyone who knows me personally knows I have an immense love for animas, including my own. I would never do anything to purposefully physically or mentally harm any animal. Again, I should NOT have yelled at him or have been physically aggressive as I was, and I'm fully aware of that. He was not hurt, nor has he ever been purposefully hurt by me. I know I'll be in many future situations where he's being physical, but I will not respond this way again.
Family or friends that have spent any amount of time with Sphinx and me know that we have a trusting, loving relationship. All he wants to do is be by my side, cuddle with me, and be around me, which I love. My love for him is exponential and infinite, and I do everything I can in my day-to-day life to ensure that he is living as happily as he can. I'm sorry that my actions in that particular moment did not reflect that.
Things then took a turn to kind of strange again, when Houts tried to make herself the victim because of all the mean comments on Twitter.
About my twitter - I deactivated my account earlier in the day. When I went to open it, I was met with an excess of notifications of people telling me I'm messed up, a bad person, that I'm going to hell, that I belong in jail, etc. For my own mental health, and no other reason besides that, I didn't think it was necessary for me to be reading those comments at that time.
This is when Houts goes on to say she's not defending herself, just explaining the situation.
Lastly, I don't want to make this statement seem like it's me defending myself, because that is not my goal. I do want to point out what ACTUALLY happened though. My intent by explaining the situation is to give those of you who are rightfully angry with me the explanation that you deserve. I am getting my dog into training, and I'm looking at ways to improve how I personally train him at home. I am sorry that you guys had to watch that footage and were upset by it, and I'm sorry to my dog for raising my voice and acting aggressively.
Then she brings Amazon into it.
In my heart and from the words of the people that spend the most time with me, I know that I am a great dog mom (but not perfect), that I spoil him in the best ways, that he gets all the treats he could ever want, and that the Amazon Prime mailman is probably tired of delivering packages of dog toys to my house. Again, this does not make my actions in the footage okay, but I'm just explaining what my day-to-day life is really like, whether you believe me or not.
Houts then asks for a second chance from everyone.
On a serious note, I love you guys and I want to THANK YOU fo pointing out things that you think are wrong and discussing them, because the world needs more of that. I hope you give me the chance to prove that these statements about myself do align with my actions.All my love,
Brooke Houts
Honestly, the whole apology sounds fake to me and as though she's just trying to gain more attention. I don't know how you can "accidentally" upload a video of you abusing your dog to YouTube, and then have the audacity to try and defend it (even though you said you're not). The whole thing smells like a publicity stunt.
WARNING: This video may be hard for some viewers.
haha hilarious prank @brookehouts !!! xD pic.twitter.com/kjvmOnln7e
— shoe (@shoe0nhead) August 7, 2019
