The singer is defending himself against allegations that he's been rescuing dogs and then selling them for thousands.
Aaron Carter is under fire for allegations that he's been adopting dogs and reselling them to new owners for a profit.
The brewing canine controversy began over the weekend when Carter, 31, posted a video to Instagram Live that showed him with an English bulldog. In the video, he can be heard saying, "This is my new buddy. So by the way, if I can't keep him, I am going to be listing him… He's 10 months old, and he's running for $3,500."
Carter, however, insists that the comments he made were a joke and that he's not flipping dogs for profit, because he doesn't need side hustles to make money.
"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," Carter tweeted early Sunday morning. "I’m a good person and I deserve respect."
This comes after Carter adopted an English bulldog named Mighty from the Lancaster Animal Care Center in California, which shared a photo of the singer and the pup together, and thanked Carter for choosing to adopt.
After the outcry over Carter's subsequent Instagram Live video, the Lancaster Animal Care Center updated their Instagram post to tell the public that they've heard from concerned citizens and are looking into the matter, adding "We are working on this situation. Thanks to all for your concern."
Carter first tried to defuse the situation when replying to a fan who compared the accusations to the so-called "Puppygate" scandal on the recent season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
"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, along with a number of cutesy emojis. "Always about the animal and their well being."
However, as the controversy continued -- and numerous allegations surfaced by a Twitter account that claimed Carter has a history of selling adopted dogs for profit -- Carter came under increased fire, and spoke out against his critics who claimed he was selling dogs because he was hard up for cash.
"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**k off," he tweeted. "People & 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."
The drama surrounding Carter's dog adoption comes just hours after the singer confirmed that he'd split up from girlfriend Lina Valentina, whom he'd been dating for a year.
"Lina and I have decided to go our separate ways," Carter said in a statement to ET. "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."
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