?The Nashville parenting influencers Nikki and Dan Phillipi's dog, Bowser, was euthanized for aggressive behavior.
Beginning of last week, Nikki and Dan Phillippi's dog Bowser was euthanized. The influencers hopped onto their YouTube channel to tell their subscribers the tale of how they came to the decision.
It turns out that a couple of days after a photoshoot with Nikki, Dan, their young son Logan and Bowser, the dog displayed aggressive behavior toward Logan. Pictures of the photoshoot are all over the couple's social media pages.
In the video, the two said there were "multiple instances" where they felt they could have justified putting the dog down. However, after this incident, they no longer felt comfortable having the nine-year-old dog around their 1-year-old son.
YouTuber Nikki Phillippi's Explanation
According to the YouTuber, Bowser bit Logan on the cheek.
"It happened in a way that almost doesn't matter because the result was the same, but in the spirit of telling the story, it wasn't like Bowser attacked Logan. Logan tried to take food from him." — Nikki Phillippi
While Logan was not hurt, the bite left a little mark on his cheek. According to Dan, this was not the first time Logan and Bowser had an issue. The child had pulled so hard on the dog's ear that it was swollen for about a month.
Bowser's Decline in Behavior
Screenshot from YouTube
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The YouTuber's said the dog Bowser overall was a good dog. However, they state that he and another bull terrier had an altercation, Nikki's parents' dog.
"Bowser was attacked when he was a puppy, and we never really talked about that very much, but that was a big turning point in Bowser's personality," Nikki Phillippi said. "Before the attack, Bowser could go to dog parks, Bowser was just calmer in general, and then after the attack, it just triggered something in him ... Ever since then, things really took a turn."
Bowser continued to show his aggressive side throughout the years, including attacking several different dogs, including their smaller dog Zoe.
They also said that it was hard to go out in public with Bowser, and they kept him inside or in the backyard. The couple also talked about how they were getting ready to move, and they were not sure what they were going to do with him and how he would handle the changes.
Euthanasia of Bowser
Screenshot from YouTube
As Nikki sat down and talked to their followers with husband Dan Phillippi, she stated that it was one of the "saddest days of my life."
Dan referred to Bowser as an "extremely dangerous animal outside the walls of my house." He also said that he was an "outside animal" who was forced to live inside due to his behavioral issues.
They said this was a decision that they did not come to "lightly." Dan said that "no one was going to be upset as he was" since Bowser was his dog more than the family's dog.
Dan did say he was outraged when the incident occurred, and he realized that Bowser had hurt Logan.
In the video, he says he thought of the movie Old Yeller and almost wanted to take the dog out back and do it himself, just like the movie.
Phillippi's Facing Criticism
Psychologist Dr. Todd Grande analyzed the vlogger's video detailing their sad news after it had been trending following posting on May 3. He said in his video that much of it seemed like it was packaged too neatly and showed very little personal responsibility for the dog as pet owners and did not seem to have a lot of counsel on the situation.
The couple has also received criticism from Jeffree Star and Jaclyn Hill. Star reacted to the news on social media, saying, "I'm so disappointed that they even chose to share this information with everyone, but they are a master manipulator, so not surprised. Our dogs are our FAMILY, and I can't believe they chose this."
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
Star's commentary was in response to beauty influencer Jaclyn Hill's Twitter statement about her dog, who is known to bite or nip at people when he feels uncomfortable. Hill wrote, "I know these things because I'm his OWNER. Therefore I make sure he's not in situations where he will react... I don't kill him."
CALL OUT: Jaclyn Hill reacts to Nikki and Dan Phillippi putting down their dog Bowser because he bit their son. Jaclyn explains her dog gets nervous and bites, then adds ?therefore I make sure he?s not in a situation where he will react? I don?t kill him!? pic.twitter.com/ALjZNGiRi6
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) May 6, 2021
Even vlogger Meghan Rienks weighed in on the controversy sharing her commentary on the situation.
FUCK THESE FUCKING PEOPLE https://t.co/guvOL8fVnG
— Meghan Rienks (@meghanrienks) May 7, 2021
The topic is currently trending on Twitter with criticisms like:
On today?s episode of influencers are the real pandemic...@NikkiPhillippi puts down her dog for biting her kid but not before she has a photoshoot with the dog inches away from the kid the dog allegedly bit and needs to be put down for. Fuck you. pic.twitter.com/31NDdEjCiG
— kerrigan ?? (@kerrigandaniels) May 4, 2021
"On today's episode of influencers are the real pandemic...@NikkiPhillippi puts down her dog for biting her kid but not before she has a photoshoot with the dog inches away from the kid the dog allegedly bit and needs to be put down for."
Many people are wondering why they did not rehome the dog. In the video, the couple claims that they consulted with the humane society and were told that rehoming was not an appropriate option for their dog Bowser since he had been with them so long and had a history of aggressive behavior. In Nashville, the Humane Society said they did not have a record of a conversation with Nikki and Dan about the dog.
Both Nikki and Dan's Instagram accounts and other social media accounts have been set to private, preventing anyone from seeing their Instagram posts. Comments on the video have been disabled.
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