Taylor Nicole Dean is denying claims that any of her animals have died from neglect.
The YouTube personality, who creates videos about caring for exotic animals, is the subject of aVice documentarythat was published on Tuesday that discusses herbattles with addictionand a dysfunctional relationship with her ex Jonny Craig.
In a lengthy post on Twitter, Dean is denying those claims.
“I’ll just say once again, I haven’t had any reptiles die except the one time I had a horrible heat malfunction,” Deanwrote on Twitteron Wednesday. “And that was absolutely disgusting, and a horrible mistake of mine that made me consider rehoming all my animals.”
In 2018, Deanshared in a videothat one of her heat regulators broke, causing the tanks for some of her reptiles to get too hot and with the result that the animals passed away.
Taylor Nicole Dean.Taylor Nicole Dean/Instagram
Ultimately, Dean decided to keep her animals — in the Vice piece, she says she currently has between 20 and 25 — and stressed the point that most of the animals who died in her care were fish or died from natural causes like old age or cancer, in the case of one hedgehog.
“I know I impulse bought animals,” Dean admitted in her Twitter post.
“I haven’t had a single animal pass, not even from old age, since I have lived in my apartments,” Dean went on. “I’ll continue to always be honest when an animal dies, but I truly know they have never died from neglect and if I did, I’d rehome them because that’s the last thing I’d ever be able to live with is watching an animal suffer.”
“I was one before I knew my ex and I’ll be one forever,” she said. “I have never once tried to say he’s the only reason I’m an addict. And if that’s portrayed anywhere, it isn’t correct.”
In a statement to Vice, Craig denied that he ever forced Dean to use drugs.
“This is the story of two grown adults that both struggled with their separate drug use, and amicably separated for the better. As Jonny prepares for the addition of his first child, a role as a father, and a recovered former drug addict. We would like to put this matter to rest in order to protect his own personal character and protect the privacy of him and his future family.”
source: people.com
