YouTube star Brooke Houts is being investigated by Los Angeles police after she accidentally shared footage in which she appears to hit, yell at and spit on her dog.
In the video, which was shared on her channel Tuesday and then removed, she told her 335,000 followers she was planning to prank her dog using plastic wrap.
When her pooch ― a Doberman named Sphinx ― jumps up on her, she responds with aggression.
A new version of the video, excluding all of that footage, was uploaded later. It has now also been removed.
An LAPD representative told BuzzFeed News police were investigating.
“LAPD is aware of this incident. Animal Cruelty is looking into this, and there is an open investigation,” they said.
An LAPD representative told People magazine that the department received numerous complaints about the matter.
A version of the footage that was saved by a viewer went viral and was met with a barrage of angry comments.
Houts put out a statement on Wednesday regarding the incident, saying she shouldn’t have yelled at her dog, but denied spitting on him, acknowledging that the video may have made it appear that way.
“I want to clarify that I am NOT a dog abuser or animal abuser in any way, shape, or form. Anyone who has witnessed or heard true animal abuse will be able to clearly see that,” she wrote.
“My dog, in no way, shape, or form, was hurt by any action that I displayed in this video.”
She said she and her family were seeking training for Sphinx and she could benefit from learning “more effective techniques to get his energy out and keep him disciplined.”