On April 7, a video of William Hammington playing with the family's pet dogs was shared on his official Instagram account operated by his mother.

In the clip, William is seen hitting the dogs with a toy sword. The caption to the post read, "Alive toys~~ Let me introduce you to my best friends Mandoo and Gaji. I'm training them because they are not potty trained yet. Don't misunderstand this~~"

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The video received heavy criticism for animal abuse. Viewers claimed the dogs seem to be in fear of William's violence. 

In response to the controversy, William's mother deleted the video and apologized via Instagram. She stated, 

"I apologize for disappointing with my careless act. Mandoo and Gaji, who have been with us for 13 years, are a precious family that we cannot live without. I will be more cautious from now on so my family and others will not be hurt by my mistake. I will look back at myself multiple times in order to become a proper example to my children. I will become a mother who reflects on her actions and learns from it. Once again, I apologize."

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A post shared by ??? ??? William Hammington (@williamhammington) on Apr 7, 2018 at 6:26am PDT