A YouTuber and social media influencer sparked fiery outrage after she and her husband euthanized their dog because it allegedly bit their son.
Nikki Phillippi is an influencer with more than one million followers on YouTube and more than half a million more across other social media platforms.
Phillippi and her husband Dan announced the dog's death in a YouTube video Monday. Nikki and Dan were both visibly upset by the turn of events they described in their YouTube video.
You can see their announcement—which is monetized meaning it generates revenue for the couple—here or the unmonetized clip immediately after:
Here is the unmonetized clip:
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Nikki described Bowser as "the ultimate cuddle bug" and said the dog, which she had owned since his birth, had been a part of their lives for "his entire life."
As she put it in the video:
"This was not a decision we came to lightly."
But, she explained, the dog had long-standing behavior problems.
"Bowser had an aggressive side that reared its ugly head a few times over the years."
Nikki detailed several instances of aggression, including Bowser attacking other dogs, had occurred in the past related by Phillippi to an attack the dog suffered as a puppy. Bowser's aggression culminated recently in him biting the couple's small son, Logan, in the face.
Nikki explained she and Dan attempted to rehome Bowser, but were counseled by the Humane Society rehoming was not possible due to Bowser having been with the Phillippis since birth and because of his unaddressed aggressive tendencies. The couple claimed both the Humane Society representative and the man who came to euthanize the dog expressed surprise at Bowser's level of aggression.
In the end, the couple felt they had run out of options.
As Phillippi put it:
"After a lot of counsel, we decided it was time for Bowser to pass peacefully on."
Nikki also acknowledged many of the couple's followers may be "shocked" to hear of their decision. That seems to have been an understatement.
Many social media users were enraged by the couple's video and social media posts.
Many cited the dog's behavior issues should have been addressed with training the first time they were noticed and not allowed to continue for 9 years until a child was added to the household.
Neither Phillippi nor her husband have commented on the situation since it went viral. Both have gone private on Instagram since the backlash began.
@EdwardLawrence/X