An Australian influencer and mother of three has been criticized by fans after deciding to rehome their family dog, Socks.
Kyree Harvey and her husband Ben, from Perth, brought the Aussie doodle puppy home in August last year.
Their three children quickly became obsessed with the adorable brown pup who was featured in multiple videos on Kyree’s Instagram page and featured in brand deals.
While it all looked perfect from the outside, the couple was struggling behind the scenes and a few weeks ago, posts from Socks disappeared from Kyree’s social media, leaving fans wondering why.
The 35-year-old mother released a lengthy statement explaining the difficult decision to rehome Socks.
Kyree Harvey and her husband Ben, from Perth, brought the Aussie doodle puppy home last August and named him Socks (pictured)
But three weeks ago, Kyree shared a lengthy Instagram post explaining why Socks was rehomed
In an honest Instagram story, Kyree felt she owed her 235,000 followers an explanation, saying she felt “extremely anxious, uncomfortable and scared” about revealing the news.
In an honest Instagram story, Kyree felt she owed her 235,000 followers an explanation, saying she felt “extremely anxious, uncomfortable and anxious” about revealing the news.
The main reason Socks was rehomed was because of his size.
“Even after all the endless research, we thought we were so well prepared; and yet we are still wrong. We never expected or understood how big he would become,” the statement said.
‘He weighed 35kg, had super long, standard poodle legs and was still growing. Even with private training at our home, his size became unmanageable for me on my own when I also had three children.”
Kyree explained that she couldn’t take the kids and Socks outside at the same time, and that there were safety concerns because he would jump the fence into the road.
“We have ensured that Socks lives a fulfilling and extremely loving life with his brother and his new mother,” the statement said.
‘While Ben was away, I couldn’t provide him with the active life I thought I could. There were many reasons for our decision, and it was a very depressing and heartbreaking decision to make,” the statement continued.
‘After lengthy discussions with Socks’ original breeder, she was very understanding and helped us find the most loving new home for him.
“We have ensured that Socks lives a fulfilling and deeply loving life with his brother and his new mother.”
Kyree added that she keeps in touch with Socks’ new owner and that he is now “living a really wonderful life.”
But she made it clear that this is not the outcome she had hoped for.
“I understand that there will be many of you who will disagree, not understand, and be disappointed. We got a dog as a lifelong commitment. “It was never intended that this would be the decision we would make,” the statement said.
“My parents’ dog is still 16 years old, and I imagined we would have that too. We plan to adopt a much smaller breed that will fit into our family’s lifestyle.
“I hope you respect that as a family we did what was right for us and made sure Socks was safe and loved.”
A heated debate ensued online and Kyree released a second statement
Although the end result was not ideal, finding a new, loving home for Socks was considered a “good outcome” by most.
Though many others in the Outspoken Podcast comments section didn’t hesitate to slam her.
‘Why would you buy a big dog and then give it away because it’s too big? Do your research before getting a dog, poor guy,” one person wrote.
‘I have no idea who Kyree is, but you can’t buy a working dog breed and expect it to fit easily into your lifestyle. You choose a breed that actually already suits the dog or actually trains the dog,” said another.
“Too bad she got rid of socks like an old couch,” a third added.
‘She bought a puppy without worrying about what he would look like as an adult, and then didn’t train him properly. The reasons she moved to another home are completely her fault and make her an irresponsible pet owner.”
Others sided with the couple and agreed that pet owners sometimes make mistakes.
“People make mistakes, sheesh,” said one.
“I hope none of you commenters ever make mistakes. The dog is rehomed in a positive environment. I don’t know who this woman is but people judge every learning experience we have in life,” another added.
Someone else wrote: ‘A good outcome in terms of the dog’s welfare in the scenario he was placed in.’
The divisive comments prompted Kyree to release a second statement.
‘Anyone who wants to gossip about the situation online should really find a new hobby. What our family has chosen to do, and what we choose to do in the future, has absolutely nothing to do with you,” she said.
‘We make decisions for us and us alone. We make decisions for our families, and I’m pretty sure you’re not sitting at our dinner table making those decisions. Your opinion does not count in our considerations.
‘Do we really still talk and gossip about other women online? For example, are you proud that you do that? I really hope that my daughter and sons grow up knowing that we don’t gossip about another human being online. That (sic) words do have an impact on someone else’s mental health.’
