The man, identified as Qiu Hengqing, had been regularly posting torture videos and charging users anywhere between $11 and $17 to access his content, according to the International Business Times. Subscribers were also able to submit tips during live streams.
Video footage obtained by Chinese outlet The Paper shows three toy poodles in various states of distress as they were strangled, tased, strapped to wooden planks and left to hang, and even force-fed what is believed to be wasabi.
Per the Daily Mail, the Qiu's content was also posted on Baidu Tieba, a large Chinese forum platform owned by search engine Baidu.
It wasn't until Monday that a group of at least 10 animal rights activists were able to track down Qiu and remove the three dogs from the Qingzhou-based home.
Video of the confrontation shows activists hanging a red banner over Qiu's home that reads, "Dog-abusing devil Qiu Hengqing, blood for blood." Moments after the banner went up, the three caged dogs were successfully removed.
Later, once Qiu met with activists, he reportedly apologized for his repeat offenses, vowing to cut off his hand if he was ever caught abusing man's best friend again, according to the Daily Mail.
The dogs are expected to be rehomed after a wellness check.
"We hope the man would keep his promise and never abuse dogs or any other animals again," Keith Guo, PETA Asia's media officer for China, told Mail Online. "People who abuse animals for profit, revenge or for fun must be stopped."
"At the same time, we hope that companies behind social media platforms could be more diligent in uncovering and deleting similar accounts. Experts have identified cruelty to animals as a sign of psychopathy and a red flag indicating future escalating violence," Guo added.
Presently, there are no laws in China that explicitly prohibit the mistreatment of animals outside of those housed in zoos and used for research purposes, according to Human Rights in China. Although legislation was proposed in 2009 and in 2010 to offer protections, they have yet to be signed into law.
