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YouTuber Nikki Phillippi and her husband Dan have come in for severe backlash online after they recently revealed they were forced to "put down" their family dog Bowser after he attacked their infant son.
The popular influencer couple recently took to YouTube to share "sad news" with fans as they revealed precisely why they decided to end the life of their pet dog.
However, one particular statement of theirs has been perceived as highly insensitive, considering how they could have always opted for rehoming instead.
"In the moment I'm thinking, you know, I grew up with the movie 'Old Yeller,' and I wanted to pick Bowser up by the back of the neck and take him into the backyard and put him down right there."
Despite Dan and Nikki Phillippi's best attempts to explain why it was a necessary move, their decision to put down Bowser has led to severe criticism from the online community.
Internet slams Dan and Nikki Phillippi for putting down their pet dog Bowser
Throughout a 24-minute long video, Dan and Nikki Phillippi attempted to explain their decision behind putting down Bowser.
The former revealed that their pet dog always tended to exhibit an unbridled aggressive streak, which gradually took its toll upon them.
The last straw for them was when he recently attacked their infant son, Logan.
"On Friday, we had to put Bowser to sleep. This was not a decision we came to lightly. We've had Bowser for almost over a decade. For many years, for most of his life, he was an extremely dangerous animal outside the walls of my house, so he was definitely an outside animal I had to keep inside. We could have put Bowser down a long time ago. He's seriously injured a couple of other dogs. He's such a powerful animal that it's not good. It just got to a point where I have a son, and it didn't work out for them."
Nikki Phillippi also revealed that although they had considered the option of rehoming, they were reportedly advised against it by a member of the humane society:
"We contacted the humane society, and we had a long discussion with someone over there, and basically, she made it clear to us that rehoming Bowser was not an option as he had been with us from birth. Even if you rehome a dog, it is still your liability if the dog were to attack someone."
From revealing how there were several instances where they had to save Bowser from himself to finally deciding to put him down, the video provided a poignant glimpse into the personal lives of Dan and Nikki Phillippi.
However, their justification for putting Bowser down seems to have touched upon a raw nerve with the online community, who called them out on the grounds of basic ethical morality.
With dissent on the verge of reaching incendiary levels online, Dan and Nikki Phillippi's controversial decision to euthanize their pet dog continues to come under intense scrutiny from the online community.
