YouTube personality Brooke Houts is under investigation after a video uploaded to her channel showed her smacking, shoving and yelling at her dog.
“We are aware of the incident and we’re looking into the matter,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told TODAY.
The shocking video showed Houts, who has more than 300,000 subscribers, smacking, scolding and shoving her Doberman pinscher, Sphinx. The pup has occasionally appeared in her other videos.
Houts has since deleted the footage from her channel, but it continued to circulate on YouTube and social media. People reported the footage was accidentally uploaded.
Houts, whose channel is a mix of lighthearted lifestyle videos and personal stories, has been inundated with angry messages.
Responding to the backlash on Twitter, Houts explained she is in the process of training Sphinx and is “looking at ways to improve” her methods.
“I am sorry that you guys had to watch that footage and were upset by it, and I’m sorry to my dog for raising my voice and acting aggressively,” Houts wrote on Wednesday.
She also denied accusations that she spit on the pup. Haus stressed she is “NOT a dog abuser or animal abuser in any way, shape, or form” and said Sphinx was not harmed.
But many people were not buying it.
“You pushed him down to the floor, you raised your hand, pulled, pushed and yelled. That’s abuse," one person responded.
Added another, “Please get serious help and find someone else who will treat your dog with love & kindness. No dog should be spat on, kicked, pushed to the ground, etc."
Animal rights organization PETA tweeted a message asking YouTube to remove Houts from their platform.