Disturbing internet trend sees owner forcing dog to eat chilli

One recent viral video has caught public backlash after a German Shepherd can be heard crying while being forced to eat chilli as part of a new internet trend.

The disturbing trend was sparked through China's shutdown of 'mukbang' or 'chibo' bloggers who earned money by sharing videos of themselves on social media eating huge amounts of food. Now that China has blocked the content from most popular live-streaming sites such as China's version of TikTok called Douyin, people have taken to using their dogs to create content instead.

In one video a man proceeds to feed his dog a bowl of Sichuan chilli chicken, which leaves the mouth feeling tingly and numb. the man can be heard on the video saying:

Alright, let's give our handsome Shuaishuai a taste of Chongqing. This is a dish of chilli chicken.

Then, as the German Shepherd is forced to chow down on the meal, actual tears can be seen coming out of his eyes. However, the man claims that his dog seems to be 'enjoying it'. One concerned viewer stated:

The dog is clearly not enjoying it, stop it right now!

Another furious spectator joined in:

He can't take it anymore, it's too spicy for a dog. This is too cruel to watch.

One shocking video uploaded shows a person holding their dog's snout while feeding it popping candy. Another video shows dog owners forcing their corgi and golden retriever to drink eight different kinds of pet milk in a row. The video ends with the little corgi lying on the floor in very visible discomfort.

The videos have sparked outrage from the viewers who are accusing the owners of animal abuse as the mass amounts of food as well as harmful foods can wreak havoc on their dog's digestive systems. Viewers are now calling for a ban on social media users taking advantage of their pets for views and have been appealing for social media users to report these kinds of videos.