Rubber-licked ears and leather fur: Meet the men who live as dogs.
A new documentary has revealed the secret lives of British men who dress, behave and to a large extent live as dogs.
The Secret Life Of Human Pups introduces audiences to a sub-culture of those who identify as “pups”.
The idea of men dressed in rubber masks huffing and puffing as their knees collect grass stains at the dog park may seem unusual, but there lies a certain simplicity at the ‘pup life’ core.
The documentary reveals that many members of the "pup" community consider the practice as a form of escapism.
A 32-year-old pup named Tom who has spent over $8000 on his "pup" identity said it allows him to "disappear."
“You disappear and start chasing puppy toys. You go so deep into the head space, you crave it and want it. It’s just magic," he said.
Tom spent the money on toys, suits and masks - some of which are so tightly fitted they require a breathing tube.
The 32-year-old admitted that slipping into a skin-tight rubber suit is about as easy as it sounds.
“It is quite awkward to put on, you need a lot of talc," he said.
The documentary followed Tom's story of how he broke off his engagement after his desire to dress as a dalmatian became too big a strain.
Tom went on to speak to The Guardian about how situations like his can be affected by realising your "pup" identity.
“I wouldn’t say it was the catalyst [of our breakup], but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
“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. It’s a sad thing to say, but there’s not love from the heart in me for Colin–but what I have got is someone who is there for me and I’m happy with that.”
The pup movement is said to have begun in the BDSM community but has since taken on a life of its own after the Internet allowed for a worldwide community.
The men featured in the documentary have insisted that dressing as "pup" is not sexual and can be more closely compared to those who identify as animals in the "furry" or trans-anthropomorphic communities.
One of the men, Kaz, told The Guardian the movement was about community first.
"People automatically jump to the conclusion that this is gear we wear to have sex. I used to get asked awful questions like, if I liked having sex with dogs," he said.
"But it's certainly not that, and it's not always sexual. Members of my pack, we spend a lot of time together at home just being dogs. There's nine of us and my partner is our handler. A big part of it is a feeling of family and belonging; we're there to look after each other."
