Nikki Phillippi said Bowser had "seriously injured a couple different dogs" in the past.
YouTuber Nikki Phillippi faced backlash after revealing their family dog had been euthanized.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Nikki announced she and her husband Dan decided to put down their bull terrier Bowser after he bit their young son Logan.
Coverage of the reaction on Instagram. https://t.co/c7IswKuXO5
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) May 5, 2021 @defnoodles
"Bowser had an aggressive side that reared it's ugly head a few times over the years," she explained. "After a lot of counsel, we decided it was time for Bowser to pass peacefully on. I know a lot of you will be shocked to hear this... my brain is still shocked."
"We didn't want to make this decision...as I’m sure you can imagine," she continued. "I'm not kidding when I say this was one of the saddest days of my life."
With over 1 million subscribers to her YouTube channel and over 400 Instagram followers, Nikki's heartbreaking message had a large audience, but not all were sympathetic to the news.
"Shame on you," wrote a follower in the IG comment section, as another shared, "Not a judgmental person here but wow, this saddens my heart and truly rubs me the wrong way."
"Your dog didn't fail you, you failed your dog," one person claimed. "To end a dog's life in this manner is deeply disturbing."
Many suggested an alternative to euthanasia, as a social media user posted, "Surely, With over 400 k followers could you not have shared the story prior to him being put down? And guaranteed a network of people would have rallied together to save him. So very TRAGIC."
And former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Dina Manzo said, "You guys better NEVER get another animal ever ever again. So sad you couldn't use your following to rehome this beautiful dog."
However, the YouTube couple had made a video further explaining their decision, saying Bowser had "seriously injured a couple different dogs" in the past, including their other pet dog Zoe. Nikki said they even considered putting him down five years ago after an act of aggression. The latest attack was when Logan tried to take food from Bowser, who responded by biting Logan in the face.
"For most of his life, he was an extremely dangerous animal outside the walls of my house," said Dan.
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View StoryThe pair said they attempted to find a new family for Bowser, but after speaking with a humane society, they were told rehoming wasn't an option.
"Never crossed my mind -- 'Oh, now we're gonna have to put Bowser down' -- I just thought, 'Oh, he's just gotta be in the right home,'" Nikki said. "But after getting counsel from multiple professionals who are with dogs all the time, all of them said that, they all said the same thing."
"This was not a decision that we came to lightly," she added. "I was like, 'People aren't going to get it. People are going to be upset.' and Dan's response was, 'Nobody's going to be as upset as I am.'"
Keep reading for more reactions, below.
Exactly. 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 fucking sick. https://t.co/j8oSSJyQeQ
— Jeffree Star (@JeffreeStar) May 6, 2021 @JeffreeStar
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. 💔
— Jeffree Star (@JeffreeStar) May 6, 2021 @JeffreeStar
What is upsetting is that th husband got a pic of him and the "agressive" dog as his display picture. Like I dont understand. pic.twitter.com/Rt02ls6fRt
— Ali Chun Li ⚔ (@Ali_Barbz) May 6, 2021 @Ali_Barbz
I am fucking 6 mins into their video and I see no remorse, no sadness or sympathy. They honestly failed as dog parents and parents to their baby. You knew he was bad tempered before you had your child. Why no put the dog through training?!?!
— Ashley Nicholas (@ComicZombie13) May 6, 2021 @ComicZombie13
There’s a YouTube or who put down their family dog and said it was because the dog was violent and vicious, and then posted it for content on their YouTube channel for money.
— Cassidy (@cassalass666) May 6, 2021 @cassalass666
These sick individuals don’t deserve the right to own a loving animal
It breaks my heart
So many other better solutions... If you'd saw old yeller, you would have known that there was no other option at that time and that the kid would have done everything for old yeller to live.
— teigetje (@teigetje_) May 5, 2021 @teigetje_
The “bite” was on his face which for child, must have been brutal due to his large size. Not only that but they tried to rehome him, but they couldn’t due to being with them since birth. Due to all of this they were forced to put him down and was a hard decision pic.twitter.com/EudvlUYeuw
— Charles Blau (@SunnyMugs2003) May 5, 2021 @SunnyMugs2003