For 32-year-old Tom, ‘puppy play’ is a lifestyle choice that relieves him of the stress that comes with living in the human world. He even owns a full-body latex dog costume to get in character for his doggy avatar. Apart from being a lighting electrician, Tom, or ‘Spot’ as he likes to be called, is also a human puppy.
‘Puppy play’ is a subculture of role play which was earlier thought of as a sexual kink. But now this unusual fetish has moved away from its BDSM origins and increasingly becoming a way of life for many men around the world.
“I first discovered puppy play when I was engaged to my first girlfriend, Rachel,” Tom told the Telegraph. “But eventually our relationship slipped apart. My current partner, however, understands puppy play and we’ve further developed the idea together. Over time, my lifestyle and persona have grown into the playful puppy you see now.”
But Tom’s unusual obsession doesn’t come cheap. He has spent over £4,000 on canine products and needs “a lot” of talcum powder to get in and out of his costume.
So what exactly is ‘puppy play’ all about?
“To live the life of a puppy allows you to find enjoyment from simple things in life,” says Tom. “From chewing toys to being praised as a ‘good boy’, it is a chance to escape from your hectic normal life and have fun in a relaxed atmosphere. But being a human Dalmation is not something that he does 24/7. He explains that he usually spends just about a day a week as a puppy and sometime for shorter periods like an hour or even just for five minutes.
Tom has also featured in a special programme titled The Secret Life of Human Pups that will soon be broadcasted on Channel 4. The show aims to explore the lives of men who, like Tom, prefer to don the role of a canine at some point.
Click on the link below to watch the trailer for the The Secret Life of Human Pups
