Aaron Carter Faces Criticism Over Reportedly Flipping Rescue Dog for Cash

Aaron Carter is facing backlash for allegations that he’s been adopting dogs and reselling them to new owners for a profit. The controversy bubbled up over the weekend when Carter, 31, posted a video to Instagram Live showing him with an English bulldog.

“This is my new buddy. So by the way, if I can’t keep him, I am going to be listing him,” Carter said in the video. “He’s 10 months old, and he’s running for $3,5000.”

The Lancaster Animal Care Center in California, where Carter adopted an English bulldog named Mighty, updated their initial Instagram post announcing the adoption and told the public that they’ve head from concerned citizens about the matter and were looking into it. “We are working on this situation. Thanks to all for your concern,” the post read.

Carter took to social media to defend himself, tweeting in the early hours of Sunday morning that his comments were a joke and that the accusations were “apalling,” [sic].

“I think it’s apalling that I actually even have to explain myself I’ve rescued many dogs & found many dogs homes. what I said in my Instagram live video was a joke. Find one dog that I adopted and sold for money, be my guest. WONT HAPPEN,” the singer tweeted. “I’m a good person and I deserve respect.”

When a Twitter user compared the accusations to the so-called “Puppygate” scandal on the recent season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Carter replied that he was not selling the dog for profit.

“I still have this handsome pup. I think what I said was taken out of context. It is amazing how much love and laughter our pets bring into our lives. It would Never be a quick money grab,” Carter wrote. “Always about the animal and their well being.”

As the controversy continued, however, numerous allegations surfaced from a Twitter account claiming that Carter has a history of selling adopted dogs for profit.

The singer continued to defend himself, writing, “With all due respect I own a home I make over $3 million a year I don’t need to sell a dog for money so have some respect and don’t try to slander my name because I will defend myself and I will take legal action. DONT TRY IT. So back the f— off.”

“People [and] media literally do not stop trying to use my name in a negative context for Clickbait and that is going to change you will know me as the musician and the amazing artist and philanthropist and human being that I am,” he continued.

Later on, he wrote, “You always risk people misunderstanding you when you say anything.”

The drama comes just a few hours after he announced his breakup from girlfriend Lina Valentina, whom he’d been dating for about a year.

“Lina and I have decided to go our separate ways,” Carter said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “I was really hoping this would be the one that lasted forever. We had even talked about having kids, but we couldn’t seem to get past our differences and the relationship eventually turned unhealthy. I’ve been through so much the past few years and am trying to learn from my mistakes.”

“I don’t have any regrets being with Lina, and I definitely learned a lot about myself. I think this decision was the mature thing to do. I’m going to keep focusing on my music, my tour and my fans. Hopefully my soulmate is out there somewhere and I’ll meet her soon.”

Photo credit: Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty