Hasan Piker addresses ‘shock collar’ accusations after his dog yelped during livestream: ‘Yes, I am incredibly abusive…’

A streamer recently faced backlash after online viewers believed he used a shock collar on his dog. Hasan Piker, a.k.a HasanAbi, a Twitch streamer, was ranting about a political situation during a livestream when his dog’s strange behavior left many guessing about his moral intentions. The segment from the livestream left the internet divided, with critics accusing him of animal cruelty by using a shock collar on his dog. Piker has denied the claims and addressed the issue with a tinge of sarcasm that was probably not taken well by his naysayers. 

A viral clip making rounds on the internet captured Piker making political commentary about the U.S. while his pet dog, Kaya, sat behind him on a table. The pup seemed to be interfering with his livestream, prompting Piker to lose his patience. “Kaya, please just f*****g go. Stop!” he yelled. The dog suddenly yelped and quietly lay down. Piker seemed curious by the sound as he turned towards the pup to check. “You’re being such a baby!” he continued. People watching tried to call him out, claiming he was stressing the dog. Unfazed by the criticism, Piker claimed, “She just literally is so incredibly spoiled from my mom.” @DramaAlert shared the clip on X. 

The internet got to work dissecting the clip from the livestream to investigate whether Piker was guilty. The dog’s yelp raised suspicion about the treatment she received from Piker. Rumors surfaced that he actually used a shock collar on Kaya to keep her in the frame. A shock collar is a training tool for dogs that uses mild electric pulses to curb unwanted behaviors. Critics zoomed in on the footage and tried to discern the brand of the dog collar to determine whether Piker had installed the questionable equipment. While the internet took sides, Piker decided to end the controversy with a sarcastic comment. 

The streamer, whose channel is the 22nd-most-subscribed on the platform, received enough flak to force a statement out of him. “Yes, I am incredibly abusive, to the not only best trained, but also the best behaving and most spoiled dog on the planet,” he quipped during the livestream later, as reported by Forbes. Piker explained that Kaya yelped because she had “clipped” herself on something while getting off the bed. “I gave her the place command while she was getting off, and then she yelped,” he clarified. He guessed that haters were onto something, accusing him of agonizing the dog. 

The news soon reached People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and shared their stance on the controversy. “Hasan Piker has denied using a shock collar on his dog, and we hope that’s true because shock collars are dangerous and downright cruel,” the organization said. “They put dogs at risk of burn wounds, chronic anxiety, and displaced aggression.” It was advised that positive reinforcement was more effective in training a dog than using cruel methods like shock collars that betray their trust in humans. Fans defending Piker claimed that Kaya’s collar was attached to an AirTag that was being mistaken for a shock collar.