Influencer faces backlash after freeze-drying her late pet - but she defends her decision

A US influencer has responded to backlash after deciding to freeze-dry her dog that recently died.

Chloe Chung, known as Mistricks online, came under fire after deciding to show her 140k followers how she dealt with her pet – also named Mistricks – passing away.

She decided to go down the route of freeze-drying the canine, which removes all moisture from the pet's body using a vacuum chamber over three to 12 months.

Unlike other methods, the techniques keeps the animal's structure intact – allowing Chung to keep the pooch in a glass display case in her home.

Chung had Mistricks freeze-dried over the last year, which she recently announced in an Instagram reel.

Her dog, which appears frozen in time, can be seen sitting inside a clear box as she enters the frame in the video.

"What did you do with your dog after she passed away?" text across the video reads. "Brought her home... duh," she responds.

Chung approaches the box, stepping onto a ladder to reach inside and pulls out her taxidermy dog.

She then holds her dog beside her and dances.

"The long-awaited answer to the question that's always in my DMs," she captioned the post.

The video immediately sparked backlash, with one comment reading "is no one else finding this creepy?"

"I don't think I could do this to my dogs. They deserve dignity once they have passed. They aren't an accessory to prance around with," another said.

"This is traumatising," a third added.

A second video shows her dog on her lap, with Chung petting and hugging it.

"I mean sure maybe it isn't stereotypically "normal" to freeze dry your soul dog 🙃 But normal is boring and not what I've ever aspired to be," the post is captioned.

With the backlash also came some messages of support, including people saying everyone grieves differently.

The influencer released a statement to People addressing the backlash, revealing it was "stressful" trying to figure out what she should do with her dog after she died.

She said she usually cremates her dogs, but this time it felt different.

"I really struggled with the thought that I would never see her beautiful face again after she passed," she said.

Chung added that she was at the crematorium with MisTricks when she changed her mind.

"Grief and sadness are always present since MisTricks passed away and especially when I think about how short my journey with MisTricks was cut," she says.

"But in the moment of being reunited with her physical body, I primarily felt comfort that she will be safe at home with me from now on."

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.