James is a practitioner of Puppy Play, a growing subculture where people live as dogs. Some Puppy Play relationships include a “dog” and a “handler,” who treats them like you’d treat an actual dogs. For others like James, Puppy Play is about embracing their dog side.
James is a practitioner of Puppy Play, a growing subculture where people live as dogs. Some Puppy Play relationships include a “dog” and a “handler,” who treats them like you’d treat an actual dogs. For others like James, Puppy Play is about embracing their dog side.
“I was incredibly nervous when I first started talking to people online,” he said. “I would hold a pillow over the 56k modem so you couldn’t hear the modem noise. I was worried that If I ever spoke to anyone about it, they would be like ‘you’re a nut job.'”
He’s also the author of Dog Training: How To Train a Human Pup. As the title suggests, it’s less of a guide to the Puppy Play lifestyle and more of a training manual for a human puppy’s handler. The book provides an obedience program to get any human puppy on track, complete with illustrations and even tables to keep track of your progress.
First, the logistics. As James considers himself a dog, he follows a mantra of “be dog” in all aspects of life. But it’s impossible to be a dog 24/7–obligations like his job and social appointments make that difficult. When being a dog isn’t an option, James opts for traditional human clothes. He considers himself “trained” to behave like a person in social situations–for example, eating at a restaurant–but he always feels uncomfortable.
And even when he has to present as human, his canine side is always present.
“I go about and live my day-to-day life relatively normally. That includes things like putting collars on and at barking at people I know in the street,” he told Metro. “If I see pups out in the village, I will bark at them. I get funny reactions from passers-by all the time.”
Of course, the suits do run hot. James describes them as “basically walking around in a carpet.” Not a problem in winter, but for summer, James definitely recommends air conditioning.
But he does have a weakness for dog treats. According to James, many dog treats are actually quite tasty and healthy for humans. His preferred dog treat is a cereal variety from the brand Bonio, which apparently tastes like “Vanilla-flavored digestive biscuit.”
“‘Some parts of pup play can be really romantic, for example being collared is very romantic,” James says. “It’s easy to fall madly in love with someone who does all these fun things with you.”
But for people like James, Puppy Play is an all-encompassing lifestyle.
If you live in the Manchester area, you can attend one of Kennel Klub’s monthly meetups. But no matter where you’re live, if you’re interested in the Puppy Play lifestyle, James encourages you to give it a shot.
You might start off hesitant, but after one evening there’s a good chance you’ll already be peeing on the floor.
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