Twitch streamer under fire after partner appears to abuse dog on stream
A Twitch streamer and YouTuber has come under fire after footage appears to show his partner in the background of his stream hitting and dragging a large dog.
YouTuber DwkVideos, real name Donny Klien, who also streams on Twitch, and has 35,000 subscribers on his channel for military-related videos, was broadcasting live via a facecam when the incident occurred.
The woman, sitting on the couch behind Klien, appears to subject a large German Shepherd to a series of attacks, with the clip later spreading on social media.
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It’s unclear why the confrontation between the woman and the dog began, but she can be seen throwing a pillow first, before dragging the dog across the room by the scruff of its neck/collar area.
As she appears to attempt to pin the dog down, it wrestles from her grasp and growls back at her.
Hearing the commotion, the streamer asks, “why are you being mean to Bubba? What are you doing to Bubba?”
Some viewers may find footage distressing.
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It is difficult to make out the woman’s response, but it appears she explains that she was trying to keep the dog out of the kitchen.
After the clip was spread on social media, users were critical of the use of physical force, with some calling on Twitch and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to take action.
I was watching this random live stream and I see this girl beating her dog in the background. WTF is wrong with people. @peta pic.twitter.com/JbmQAoS1QY
— FNBRUnreleased (@FNBRUnreleased) January 4, 2020
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It puts Twitch in a potentially tricky situation, as the streamer himself does not physically engage with the dog. Some have suggested that he should not be punished by the platform for this reason.
Yeah but he could just be acting I mean you never know what happens when the cam is off
— irrational paradox #007 (@irrationalpara1) January 4, 2020
However, streamers are typically liable for all content on their broadcasts, regardless of their own involvement.
Dexerto has reached out to Mr. Klien for comment.
Twitch has banned streamers in the past for animal abuse, although sparked controversy after one suspended streamer claimed she was just playing with her dog.
Most infamously, massively popular streamer Alinity was accused of abusing her cat, after she threw it over her head in one instance, and appeared to spit vodka in the cat’s mouth in another clip. PETA called for the platform to punish her, but Alinity was not banned for the incidents, and the SPCA found no wrongdoing after an investigation.
