Love Is Blind alumnus Matt Barnett responds to backlash after asking fans to donate to his dog’s surgery via GoFundMe!

Love is blind Matt Barnett came under fire this week …

On Friday, the former reality star married Amber Pike during the first season of Netflix Reality show – increased Instagram to inform his followers that his beloved dog, bandithad to undergo emergency surgery for a gallbladder torsion. Oh no! He wrote alongside videos of the puppy:

“On Saturday, I was on a work flight when I received a devastating text message: ‘Bandit has a gallbladder torsion and needs emergency surgery or we will have to put him down.’ I immediately started asking questions about how much time we would have with him and what his quality of life would be like. In tears on the flight, I wondered if it was selfish of me to go through with the surgery because then I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to him.”

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Before Matt could decide whether to “let him go,” his parents offered to pay for the procedure with their credit card. Bandit underwent surgery the following day, July 14. However, the life-saving procedure and stay at the veterinary hospital became an “extreme financial burden” for his parents, so they are now asking their followers to donate to the dog’s needs on GoFundMe. Matt concluded:

“(My wife) Amber (Pike) and I really want to help them as much as we can. I hate the thought of asking for help, but this hurts and anything would be helpful.”

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While many people were sympathetic and sent their love to Barnett, other social media users were not so kind. Many criticized the TV star for asking for money despite being in the spotlight himself:

“I have a day job and had to shell out $7,000 when my dog ​​was sick and had to go to the hospital. I didn’t even think about starting a GoFundMe, I just paid it on my credit card because she was my dog ​​and I was responsible for her. That’s just part of having a pet.”

“‘Normal’ people can’t even afford to live and celebrities are begging for money on social media????? I’m sorry about your puppy, but holy crap”

“You can travel all the time and make money from advertising and social media, but you can’t pay it back? People are struggling to pay their rent and food right now. Fucking crazy.”

“It’s in bad taste and you should remove it. If you want to help your parents, you should do so, but don’t ask others who are less fortunate than you for money.”

“So you can’t pay them back?? But you ask other people to pay them back??”

“Reality stars demand money when ‘normal’ people pay their own vet bills. Unbelievable.”

Phew…

Matt did have some defenders in the comments, however! They criticized the harsh reaction to his request, saying:

“To the negative commenters out there, let’s do a little critical thinking before typing the first thought that comes to mind. Do you really think someone would post and ask for help with their dog if they could actually handle it themselves? It would be a lot easier to pay the bill and avoid all the judgement that comes up on social media. Either help or keep scrolling, for goodness sake.”

“The amount of disgusting comments on here like bffr, they haven’t been on tv for YEARS. Just because he has a “platform” doesn’t mean he actually makes money off of it and REGARDLESS it’s for a dog like you guys bffr if you don’t want to donate then why waste your time commenting negativity just keep scrolling.”

“They’re asking for help. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then move on. Seriously. Just because they were on a show doesn’t mean they’re millionaires. Times are tough.”

“You do realize that before ‘Love is Blind’, everyone on the show was a normal person living a normal life. And not everyone from season 1 got as much fame or support as other cast members. Either donate or keep scrolling.”

But when Matt noticed the online criticism, he responded immediately! Hours later, he promised in the comments that he would “not ask for help if” he didn’t need it:

“Thank you to everyone who donates. It really means a lot to me and my family. I promise I wouldn’t ask for help if it wasn’t needed. I have a platform and most people in need don’t, so any money raised beyond the cost of caring for my dog ​​will be passed on to others who need it. I’ve been struggling with this all week and I hope some of you can show a little slack with negative comments.”

Our hearts go out to Matt and Amber during this difficult time. What do you think about the GoFundMe drama, Perezcious readers? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

(Image via Love Is Blind/Netflix, Matt Barnett/Instagram)