Tech CEO breaks silence after being branded 'dog abuser' following music festival clip
One tech CEO is facing allegations that he 'abused' a husky while at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival. The 'skittish-looking' dog has raised questions about when it isn't acceptable to take animals into a venue, and although dog owners have fought for more places to let their four-legged friends inside, blasting music from a speaker and straight into their delicate ears isn't exactly perceived as good ownership.
Considering dogs are said to have a hearing range of up to 60,000 Hz when compared to a human's 20,000 Hz, their ears are much more sensitive. Much like if it's too hot to put your hand on a pavement, it's too hot for a dog's paws, chances are that if it's too loud for your ears, its certainly too much for your pooch.
A clip seeming to show Merch.com CEO Ikey Bensimhon at Outside Lands also appeared to feature the husky without any ear protection. The video was shared on Reddit, with the OP claiming it was taken during Dombresky's set at the music event.
They added that it was "cute for the first like minute," but then said the two men who were with it were 'f**ked up' and started throwing the animal around while trying to dance with it.
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The crowd apparently started booing at the pair, as they argued with a group of girls nearby for 10 minutes, and then moved further into the crowd.
Responding to the clip, one animal lover said: "Why would ANYONE want to bring their pet to a concert? To subject their already sensitive ears to a loud af environment and potentially cause damage? To get their paws trampled on? Ppl be dumb and careless af."
Another added: "Videos like this make me so angry. I love dogs, and seeing them mistreated is absolutely heartbreaking. Not all heroes wear capes... Massive respect to the group of girls who stepped in, the dog was clearly in distress."
A third concluded: "I pray that pup gets out of that situation and gets a loving home. It is disgusting. Now that there is camera footage it may make it easier to find these guys and have justice served."
A second clip is captioned 'poor baby' and shows the same man and dog jumping around, with the poster claiming he was calling people Karens for complaining.
Bensimhon himself took to Reddit and tried to defend himself, with the tech CEO stating: "It feels really unfair how I am getting blasted here when I do not even own a dog. The husky belongs to my friend and we actually arrived at the festival separately and only met up inside."
He goes on to say that he was trying to calm the situation down and added: "I love dogs and my company has always been dog friendly, so it is hurtful to be painted as a dog abuser when that is simply not the truth."
With the story being reported by the San Francisco Standard, Bensimhon told the outlet: "It’s really frustrating how a short, out-of-context clip can create problems."
Although Bensimhon maintains he was sober and the 12-year-old husky is his friend's 'closest companion' who is also a service dog, the San Francisco Standard says he declined to identify the owner or verify the dog's certification.
He concluded: "The second I saw what was happening, I leaned over and whispered, ‘Let’s go.’ We put her on the leash and left...We weren’t even there for more than two minutes."
While Bensimhon continues to defend himself and maintains the clip is being taken out of context, the comments on Reddit don't seem to be on his side.