Animal rights organization PETA has responded to the allegations of ‘dog abuse’ against YouTube personality Brook Houts, after she accidentally uploaded an unedited video in which it appeared she was mistreating her pet on August 7.
Brooke Houts sparked controversy on August 7 after she accidentally uploaded an unedited YouTube video which appeared to show her spitting on and slapping her Doberman puppy after it misbehaved.
As you would expect with a situation like this, animal protection organization PETA responded to the situation and it is not happy.
PETA got involved in the drama
In a Twitter post on August 7, the organization quoted an article about the YouTuber’s actions from British news outlet Metro and called for her removal from the video platform.
“DOGS DESERVE RESPECT. IF YOU CAN’T TREAT DOGS WITH KINDNESS AND INSTEAD HIT THEM, DON’T GET ONE. ATTN @YouTube: Please remove Brooke Houts from your platform.” it tweeted.
DOGS DESERVE RESPECT. IF YOU CAN’T TREAT DOGS WITH KINDNESS AND INSTEAD HIT THEM, DON’T GET ONE.
ATTN @YouTube: Please remove Brooke Houts from your platform.https://t.co/CASgyiXlE2
— PETA (@peta) August 7, 2019
Later on August 9, PETA published a blog post on its website titled “PETA Wants Social Media Platforms to Hold Animal Abusers Accountable” where it mentioned Houts’ alleged ‘abuse’.
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“Videos like these are extremely dangerous, because they may normalize treating animals disrespectfully or even physically abusing them—particularly for impressionable viewers, including these platforms’ younger users.” it stated. “They also increase the risk of “copycat” behavior by people who are desperate for publicity and attention—even the negative kind.”
The organization urged for action to be taken against scandals involving the mistreatment of animals. “And while many people are rightfully outraged by videos like these, public scorn—which often moves on to the next scandal in a day or two—is not enough to prevent this kind of abuse. There must be consequences.”
“ANIMALS DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS—NOT TO BE SLAPPED, GRABBED, SPIT ON, OR THROWN.”
Police are investigating Houts
In a statement to news outlet The Verge on August 7, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that it is looking into Houts’ actions after receiving multiple complaints against the YouTuber.
“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 official media spokesperson for the department stated.
No information regarding the findings of the LAPD’s investigation have come to light as of the publishing of this article.