PC gaming controllers. Image source: New York Times.
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Claim: A Facebook user, @Celebrity Live Shows, shared a post stating that every year, 10 million dogs are harvested to make PlayStation controllers.
Verdict: False. There is no evidence that any gaming company uses dogs in controller production. Controllers are made entirely from plastic, silicone, polycarbonate, and metal components.
Full Text
Facebook has become a comfortable space for people to share all sorts of stories, including those that sound too strange to be true.
Over time, the platform has seen numerous exaggerated and misleading posts that quickly grab attention and spread rapidly. DUBAWA has debunked several such claims here and here.
Recently, a Facebook user, @Celebrity Live shows, shared a zoomed-in picture showing a dog’s nose and a game controller side by side, claiming that over one million dog noses are harvested each year to make game controllers.
The caption read: “Every year, 10 million dogs get harvested for PlayStation controllers.”
As of Oct. 13, 2025, the post had 4,000 likes, 383 comments, and 71 shares.
We looked through the comments to see how people reacted to the claim. @Meka Toby wrote: “No wonder my dog likes playing video games with me and is always close to the controller.”
@Rmg Matt added, “No wonder my PS controller smells like meat.”
@Emmy Glorious, who saw nothing wrong with the claim, said, “What is the issue there, since your dog and mine are not affected?”
@Rakim Asaproky, who claimed to know about such activity, said, “It is true. I have also been selling the dogs for a good amount of money.”
@Nana Grace, however, disagreed with the claim, saying, “Liar, that’s silicon, not dog flesh.”
Finally, @Stephen Achelenu questioned the logic behind it. “So, synthetic materials are so scarce that a company had to resort to harvesting dogs to make game controllers? Lie of the century.”
Seeing the post’s engagement and the nature of the claim, which DUBAWA found suspicious and unrealistic, we decided to investigate its veracity.
Verification
We conducted a reverse image search of the picture. The result led to the same post shared on Reddit about ten years ago. We also found the same post on other websites, including Imgur and X, where users talked about how game controllers are made from the noses of dogs; although some users called it a satire.
We also checked the websites of major gaming companies such as Sony (PlayStation), Microsoft (Xbox), and Nintendo to see if there was any information supporting the claim. None of them mentioned using animal parts in their products. Their controllers are made from materials like plastic, silicone, and metal components, which are common in electronic manufacturing.
A closer look at the breakdown of gaming controllers reveals that they are composed of synthetic and electronic materials, not animal parts. The outer casing is made from ABS plastic, while the buttons and analogue sticks are composed of silicone rubber and polycarbonate. Inside, the circuit boards, sensors, and vibration motors are made of copper, other metals, and electronic components. No part of these materials comes from animals.
An image illustrating the primary material components of a game controller.
Michael Noah, a Nigerian materials engineer working with Innoson Vehicles and possessing extensive knowledge of controller manufacturing, told DUBAWA that the claim makes no sense when compared to how controllers are actually built.
“No gaming company would use biological materials like animal skin or tissue. They use plastics, silicone, and metal because these materials are durable, affordable, and safe to process in large quantities,” he explained.
He added that even the idea of harvesting dogs for gaming devices is unrealistic due to the cost, regulatory issues, and ethical concerns involved in sourcing such materials.
Ebuka Okandu, who sells video games and accessories at Banex Plaza in Abuja, also dismissed the claim as ridiculous. According to him, anyone familiar with how controllers are assembled would know they are made entirely from synthetic and electronic materials.
“I sell PlayStations, Xbox consoles, and different types of controllers,” he said. “Sometimes we open them up to fix minor faults or replace parts, and everything inside is plastic, wire, and metal, and it has nothing close to animal skin or anything biological.”
While the claim could have been intended as satire, the post itself could take on a life of its own and become a source of misinformation, regardless of its original intent. DUBAWA has previously reported on how that works.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings show that the claim is baseless. The images and posts making this claim have circulated online for years without any credible source. It is therefore false.
