Often I stare at my dogs and are envious of their life: naps all day, belly rubs, treats galore and strolls around the neighborhood. It must be good to be a dog.
Some are so envious of this lifestyle, they are doing something about it. They are identifying as dogs.
In a new documentary called Secret Life of Human Pups, the film chronicles the life of several men living as dogs, engaging in “pup play.”
Nell Frizzell at The Guardian describes it as:
“Secret Life of the Human Pups is a sympathetic look at the world of pup play, a movement that grew out of the BDSM community and has exploded in the last 15 years as the internet made it easier to reach out to likeminded people. While the pup community is a broad church, human pups tend to be male, gay, have an interest in dressing in leather, wear dog-like hoods, enjoy tactile interactions like stomach rubbing or ear tickling, play with toys, eat out of bowls and are often in a relationship with their human ‘handlers.'”
This sort of community isn’t anything new, but until recently, has lived underground. With the explosion of the Internet, chat rooms, forums and the stronger push to be more accepting, pup play is also looking for some love from the community.
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“It feels like you can be gay, straight, bisexual, trans and be accepted,” Tom, a theater engineer who identifies as a dog, told The Guardian. “All I want is for the pup community to be accepted in the same way. We’re not trying to cause grief to the public, or cause grief to relationships. We’re just the same as any other person on the high street.”
While they may want to be perceived as the same, not everyone is as understanding of their lifestyle.
For one, Tom’s relationship with his fiancé fizzled after his pup identity emerged. He decided to move in with his “handler” Colin.
“I wouldn’t say it was the catalyst [of our breakup], but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he tells the outlet. “Then I had this moment of panic because a puppy without a collar is a stray; they don’t have anyone to look after them. I started chatting to Colin online and he offered to look after me.”
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Another pup, Kaz, shares that his identification as dog has gotten him in a bit of trouble at work.
“Even when I worked in PC World I would sometimes walk up to people and nip at their shirt,” he tells the outlet. “I got in trouble once; someone walked into the PC repair centre and I had part of their dad’s computer in my mouth.”
And while often pup play can be seen as a sexual lifestyle within the gay community, David, another pup, thinks it is more about having fun.
“Puppy play is exactly that – play. There is an immense amount of pleasure from gambolling around in a club playing with squeaky toys because you’re making people laugh, you’re being a cute little puppy, he tells the Guardian. “The gay scene can be very serious, scary and offputting. But if you’re going in with a little puppy hood, ears and a tongue, you look cute. You’re allowed to bound around and be enthusiastic, mischievous and friendly.”
Related: More Than Human? Renowned Photographer Tim Flach Blurs the Lines Between Man and His Best Friend.
The series is airing on UK’s Channel 4.
