It’s a dog and a spectacle.
Leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker ignited controversy online Wednesday after being accused of using a shock collar on his dog, an accusation he has refuted.
The uproar began during a livestream on Tuesday as Piker criticized the state of the internet in Los Angeles.
As he passionately exclaimed, “I hate this f–king country so much,” his dog, Kaya, moved for the first time in what appeared to be an intense multi-hour stream on Twitch.
Piker swiftly reprimanded the dog as she appeared to be stepping down from a platform, with Piker seemingly pressing a button on his desk, after which Kaya yelped and retreated to her spot.
“Jesus Christ, what are you doing?” he exclaimed as the dog cried out, adding, “You’re being such a baby.”
The 34-year-old then remarked that Kaya’s cries were due to his mother having “spoiled” the dog.
Later in the stream, he explained that Kaya cried out because she “stepped oddly” or “clipped her foot on something,” as reported by Forbes reported.
A wave of criticism flooded social media, with many condemning what appeared to be the mistreatment of the innocent animal, including numerous memes depicting dramatic scenarios involving Kaya.
Piker admitted during a Wednesday stream that he employs a behavior modification collar for Kaya but asserted he did not shock her.
“This is one of Kaya’s many collars,” he stated as he sweetly called the dog over and removed the collar from her neck. “This is the one that people are discussing.”
Piker emphasized that the collar has a “vibration” rather than a shock feature.
He even demonstrated the vibration setting while holding the collar.
He reiterated that he did not trigger the collar’s vibration function and suggested that Kaya likely just injured her dewclaw as she moved around.
Piker has yet to respond to requests for comment.
