An influencer has sparked mass outrage on social media after she and her husband decided to euthanize their dog after claiming he was "too old to rehome".
Nikki Phillippi and her husband Dan triggered further hate after they filmed the whole process and uploaded it on YouTube to their 1.29 million subscribers.
Titled 'We have some really sad news,' the clip attracted mass attention online as fans hit out at the influencer for her decision to put down their dog Bowser.
The pair went on to post the news on Instagram, telling fans the pair made the decision after seeing displays of aggression from the dog.
Phillippi claimed that Bowser "had an aggressive side that reared it's ugly head a few times over the years" before claiming that the dog bit the pair's son Logan.
They captioned the post: "After a lot of counsel, we decided it was time for Bowser to pass peacefully on. We didn't want to make this decision...as I'm sure you can imagine. I'm not kidding when I say this was one of the saddest days of my life."
The pair gave a further explanation for their decision on YouTube, saying that Bowser had "seriously injured a couple of different dogs". They also mentioned that they considered putting Bowser down in the past due to a moment of "aggression" five years ago.
The announcement has caused online backlash towards the couple, with viewers and fellow influencers saying that they should have sought out every other option before resorting to euthanization.
As a result, comments on the YouTube video were switched off by the couple but that didn’t stop people slating the couple on Twitter.
YouTube celebrity Jeffree Star wrote: "They claimed the dog bite their child once so they had to put him down… Instead of rehoming him, they murdered him. And there’s also NO proof the dog was actually aggressive… This makes me f*****g sick.
"It's hard to fathom how someone could kill their own family dog and make content out of it… They need to be investigated. As a dog owner who’s animals are my LIFE, this is hard to wrap my head around. [sic]"
YouTube star Jaclyn Hill also waded in, tweeting: "I have a very temperamental dog. He bites people when he feels nervous, unsafe or if you try to touch him when he doesn’t want to be... I know these things because im his OWNER. Therefore I make sure he’s not in situations where he will react... I don’t kill him!
"You guys know I pretty much never insert myself in 'drama' especially on a special day like today! (launch day) But I’m just too disgusted. Especially by the 'goodbye photo shoot' like WHAT!?"
Jeffree Star then responded: "Exactly. I’m so disappointed that they even chose to share this information with everyone, but they are a master manipulator so not surprised. Our dogs are our FAMILY and I can't believe they chose this."
One social media user wrote: "The whole Nikki Phillippi situation is...what in the actual f***? Poor lil pup did not deserve to die, but only after having a photo shoot first?? Why did they think any of that was ok? So sad. Who does that? I’m baffled."
Another tweeted: "It takes a certain kind of s****y to put down your dog after it bit your baby (who was grabbing the dog's food), but it's another level of stupid to think uploading an 'emotional' video talking about how tragic it was is a good idea. Nikki and Dan Phillippi should be ashamed."
While another added: "What you have done to your dog is disturbing. I understand that a dog biting your child is an extremely stressful and difficult situation - but you took the easy way out. You made a commitment to your dog and you gave that up and took the EASY WAY OUT. I'm furious. [sic]"
A fourth wrote: "If you treat your animals like s*** I’m going to question your parenting too," before another added: "How was killing your dog instead of rehoming him the best option. They took family photos before they sent him to The slaughterhouse. #nikkiphillippi."
