Mackenzie McKee has some choice words for her neighbors after they called animal control on her, alleging that her dog had been abandoned. Her mom, Angie Douthit, told TMZ the neighbors couldn’t have been more wrong about the family pet, named Hank.
Douthit told the outlet she and her father were watching the dog when the neighbors made the call. McKee was away on a 6-day cruise in the Bahamas, at the time, and Douthit and her father came by every day to feed Hank and make sure he had water. She told TMZ the neighbors were just trying to make McKee look bad.
Videos by PopCulture.com
According to Douthit, Hank’s pen was covered with a tarp on the first day of McKee’s vacation to ensure that he didn’t get wet, as it had been raining. Days later, the MTV personality’s mom noticed a wood pallet had been placed inside the pen. TMZ reported that the neighbors admitted to putting the pallet in the pen, but said they did it so he wouldn’t have to sit in mud. Douthit claimed she removed it because she worried the splintery wood would hurt his paws or body.
Douthit also told TMZ the neighbor’s photo, posted to social media, was misleading. The photo showed poop all over the pen. Douthit claims, however, that the dog — a great dane — just poops a lot. She also said the muddy conditions in the pen made it look worse than it actually was.
Despite Douthit’s claims that Hank is well taken care of, TMZ reported the dog was removed from the home on Monday. Witnesses said Hank had been crying for four days before he was finally taken away. Douthit said she has family members in Miami and Oklahoma that regularly leave their dogs out, and don’t face such backlash.
McKee said the dog’s removal from her home was just because of tornado warnings in the area, however. Douthit told TMZ she and her father were more than willing to take Hank into their home amid weather warnings. She said they planned to bring him into their basement, where he would be safe if a tornado struck.
Regardless, McKee will not have to pay $80 to Animal Control for boarding her dog. Her return from the Bahamas was delayed, but TMZ said she planned to pick her pet up on Wednesday. She hasn’t shared any updates on the dog drama since she was due back home.
