Influencers Dan and Nikki Phillippi Slammed After Putting Down Dog for ‘Aggressive Side’
Influencers and YouTubers Dan and Nikki Phillippi are facing backlash after putting down their dog due the pet being too "aggressive."
On Monday (May 3), the Nikki announced in an Instagram post that she and her husband had euthanized their bull terrier, Bowser, after the animal had bit their young son.
"Bowser had an aggressive side that reared its ugly head a few times over the years... and recently he bit [our son] Logan....after a lot of counsel, we decided it was time for Bowser to pass peacefully on," she wrote, calling it one of the "saddest days of my life."
The couple had Bowser for nine years. See her Instagram post, below:
In a separate YouTube video, the couple addressed the situation in more detail. They explained that Bowser began to show signs of aggression after being previously attacked by another dog. The couple also claimed that Bowser had special needs and had previously attacked other dogs after being attacked himself.
They also shared that their son, Logan, attempted to take food from Bowser, which prompted the dog to bite the child in the face. However, they clarified that Bowser "didn't attack" Logan and that the injury "wasn't bad," but had left a little mark on his face. (The family took final photos with the dog before putting it down, including a photo with their toddler-age song next to the dog's face."
The couple revealed that after their son began to crawl, he would often grab Bowser's ears. Seemingly as a result, Bowser developed a condition called "cauliflower ear." They also said that their son would often steal things from the dog or get close to Bowser's face which "was almost kind of unfair to Bowser because it was like, he was a good dog."
The couple also claimed that they talked to a specialist about potentially re-homing the dog. However, Dan admitted they "could have put Bowser down a really, really long time ago, several times—just been putting the day off."
After Dan and Nikki shared their story, social media users began to criticize the couple for not doing more to save the dog. Many took issue with the fact that Dan and Nikki apparently didn't attempt to seek behavioral training or look into the adoption route more closely. Other people noted that the parents could have taught their son how to properly interact with the dog, or separated their son and dog for the time being.
See social media reactions, below.