For the second time in less than a month, another Teen Mom star is involved with accusations of animal mistreatment.
Mackenzie McKee, who appeared on Teen Mom 3 in 2013, was accused of leaving her dog, a Harlequin Great Dane named Hank, in a fenced-up pen this week while she vacationed to the Bahamas with her husband Josh, TMZ reports.
In photos obtained by the outlet, McKee’s dog can be seen standing in a muddy, outdoor enclosure with a tarp hanging over the top to protect Hank from rain and a bowl of food inside. The dog was also surrounded in its own feces.
The pup was also given a wood pallet to stand on, which was allegedly added by McKee’s neighbors, who claimed Hank was crying and whimpering outside for four days while the reality star vacationed.
Animal Control in Miami, Oklahoma eventually reported to McKee’s yard and took in Hank, according to the outlet. Animal Control did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
On Tuesday, however, McKee, 24, denied any wrongdoings in a lengthy thread on Twitter and claimed her dog was well-cared for while she was gone, referring to the animal mistreatment accusations as “all lies.”
“If you guys think that my neighbors were telling the truth, you are out of your mind. They have had it out for us since we moved in in October and moving is in the near future,” the reality star began the thread.
“I love hank more than words could ever describe. I paid 4K to have his fence installed 2 weeks before vacation and they stalled it out longer,” she continued. “So for you all to pull the ‘don’t pay for vacation if you can’t afford proper care for your dog’ bull s— is insane as well.”
If you guys think that my neighbors were telling the truth, you are out of your mind. They have had it out for us since we moved in in October and moving is in the near future.
— Mackenzie McKee (@DouthitKenzie) May 21, 2019
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View this post on InstagramNever want to leave
A post shared by mackenzie Mckee (@mackenziemckee) on May 18, 2019 at 1:40pm PDT
The Miami, Oklahoma native went on to argue that she spends “more time and money” on Hank than her neighbors do with their dog and explained that the pen was a last resort for Hank, who despises being put in a kennel while she is gone.
“We bought that pen for Mr. Hank because he hates kennels and I think he needed more sleeping room. I called about getting him boarded and told them that dog WILL NOT SLEEP IN A KENNEL,” she explained. “But they said that’s how they operate. Trust me when I say I looked into all options.”
“He was checked on and let out to run and play 3x a day which we payed for and arranged. He was fed, watered, and played with daily and stepped in his pen at night and I even had a tarp rushed to him since on day 2 of vacation he destroyed his dog house” McKee added.
Arranged. He was fed, watered, and played with daily and stepped in his pen at night and I even had a tarp rushed to him Since on day 2 of vacation he destroyed his dog house. O did I forget to mention his poop was being cleaned out. But my neighbors stepped on my property to
— Mackenzie McKee (@DouthitKenzie) May 21, 2019
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A post shared by mackenzie Mckee (@mackenziemckee) on May 19, 2019 at 8:39am PDT
Addressing the photos that her neighbors took of Hank inside the pen, McKee claimed they were snapped right after the dog had pooped and reiterated, “We were on top of him being loved and cared for.”
According to the reality star, her neighbors eventually called Animal Control to report Hank’s condition, who allegedly performed a wellness check — a test McKee claimed she passed, even with her neighbors’ alleged claims of abuse.
“My neighbors said not a single person has been out and that’s why they called me in because THEY WERE THE ONES FEEDING HIM. And it was far from the truth,” she said.
McKee also claimed that she asked the Animal Control officer to take in Hank ahead of the tornadoes expected to hit Oklahoma in the coming days, though her mom “who lives down the road was on her way to get him shelter.”
In a storm shelter for Oklahoma is experiencing horrible and scary tornados and she agreed to it. Which before she called ,my mom who lives down the road was on her way to get him shelter.
— Mackenzie McKee (@DouthitKenzie) May 21, 2019
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View this post on InstagramOur last night at the Bahamas calls for fancy dinner and a late night swim in the ocean
A post shared by mackenzie Mckee (@mackenziemckee) on May 19, 2019 at 6:10pm PDT
In a final note, McKee asked her followers to be kinder until they knew facts on the situation and noted, once again, that she and her pet caretakers condemned animal abuse and would never purposely endanger or harm Hank.
“Me nor my mother or the other two taking care of him support animal abuse. Please know the full truth and story before telling a woman to kill herself and she is a piece of s—,” McKee tweeted.
She also directed her followers to her Snapchat, where she pointed out that fans would “see that Hank is nothing less than loved to an extreme level by us.”
At this time, it is unclear if McKee and her husband share other dogs together and if so, where they were staying while the couple vacationed. (McKee has previously posted about several other dogs on her Instagram.)
The couple did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Since departing for her trip late last week, the reality star has been documenting the moments with her husband, 26. Her Instagram has recently been jam-packed with bikini photos on the beach and snaps from their cruise ship.
View this post on InstagramFun in the
#beachlife #florida #npcbikini #fitness #cartwheel #summertime
A post shared by mackenzie Mckee (@mackenziemckee) on May 17, 2019 at 6:58am PDT
This is the second time that a Teen Mom star has recently been embroiled with allegations of animal mistreatment.
Earlier this month, Jenelle Evans made headlines after her husband David Eason allegedly shot and killed her dog for biting their 2-year-old daughter in the face.
Since the alleged incident, Evans has been fired from Teen Mom (Eason was fired from Teen Mom 2 by MTV in February 2018 after allegedly posting homophobic tweets) and had her children removed from her home by Child Protective Services.
“During this difficult time, I’m focused on getting Kaiser back and cooperating with my legal team on the next steps to getting my children back,” said the former Teen Mom 2 star.
from PEOPLE.com http://bit.ly/2we0Bop
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