LAPD investigating YouTuber Brooke Houts for alleged animal abuse

YouTuber Brooke Houts is coming under extreme scrutiny, after accidentally uploading an unedited video that showed her hitting and spitting on her pet Doberman Pinscher, Sphinx.

The internet was outraged after watching the offending footage, with top personalities across the net decrying Houts for what they saw as blatant animal abuse – but they aren’t the only ones taking issue with the video, either.

In a statement to The Verge, the Los Angeles Police Department claimed that they are currently investigating the YouTuber’s treatment of her dog, which has since gone viral.

“Our Animal Cruelty Task Force has received numerous complaints about the video you’re speaking of, and we are currently looking into the matter,” a representative for the LAPD said of the issue.

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Houts herself published a statement to Twitter in wake of the scandal, claiming that she did not spit on the animal and had been frustrated at the time of filming, which influenced her actions.

“…I would never do anything to purposefully, physically, or mentally harm any animal,” Houts’ statement read. “…he was not hurt, nor has he ever been purposefully hurt by me.

Despite Houts’ response, many fellow YouTubers were outraged by the video, with even the likes of H3H3’s Ethan Klein, Twitch streamer Valkyrae, and Logan Paul decrying her behavior toward Sphinx.

“I’m in LA and will literally buy your dog from you,” Klein Tweeted toward Houts. “Name any price, he really does need a new home.”

“Discipline your animals should they misbehave,” Paul wrote of the controversy. “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.”

Valkyrae even uploaded a video on the subject, in which she gave viewers a humorous “tutorial” on “How to not abuse your dog.”

“What you want to do is raise your hand, and instead of applying force, you just slowly pat the puppy,” the streamer joked.

This wouldn’t be the first time an internet personality has come under fire for alleged animal abuse, either: Twitch streamer Alinity Divine stirred up controversy after throwing her cat over her head during a July stream, likewise inciting an investigation from the Saskatoon SPCA (which ultimately dropped all charges against Alinity).

Further information regarding the LAPD’s investigation has yet to come forth as of publishing this article.