Once upon a time I went to Berlin. During my stay there I attended a Gay Leather & Rubber Fetish Festival and boy, the things I saw stunned me.
Among the bondage routines, leather outfits and dominatrix attraction, there were men dressed as dogs. They would walk around on all fours and sip beer out of dog bowls.
Here’s an image:
Why I am telling you this is because I thought it was only a sexual relationship, heightened by the performance of an S&M relationship. I mean, they had butt-plug tails.
But no, not all of them are in it for the sex.
People actually live like that:
It’s called “Pup Play”, and unlike the relationships I saw in Berlin they have little to do with S&M.
The Telegraph’s Ed Power watched the documentary The Secret Life of the Human Pups and jotted down some of his thoughts on the matter:
In a show about men pretending to be dogs, the human moments were absolutely heart-breaking
“He wanted to be able to explore different avenues – I didn’t understand it, I didn’t want to understand it,” said Tom’s former fiancée Rachel. “He’s two different things – when he’s Spot and when he’s Tom. It’s what I walked away from.”
The boyfriend formerly known as Tom agreed. “You go so deep into the headspace,” he intoned from within his Spot mask (part of a bespoke £4,000 costume). “It’s just magic… I’m proud of who I am and what I look like.”
Here was a moment of genuine heart-break (Rachel confessed she’d take him back in a shot if he weaned off puppy play). You had switched on expecting a freak show. Kudos to the film-makers for taking the time to treat these strange, often sad “puppies” as actual human beings.
The handler thing was where it got really weird
Having parted from Rachel, Tom’s significant other was now handler “Colin”. Were they lovers? Apparently not – yet a weird intimacy nonetheless crackled between the two. Certainly, Colin wasn’t keen on Rachel’s continuing presence in Tom’s life. Matters took a turn for the wrenching when Tom tried to explore Colin’s feelings about his ongoing friendship with his ex. “Not on camera,” said Colin, very much the stern master. Tom whimpered like… well, a wounded puppy.
They’re a bit pervier on the Continent (this is what I witnessed!)
In Antwerp for a big competition, Tom was surprised at European pup play’s sexualised overtones (had he gone to a “poop play” convention by accident?). Rather than dressing as cute little pooches, many of the competitors were kitted out like Bane from Batman and sported provocative chains and clamps to boot. Tom/Spot, in it strictly for the cuddles and treats, was shocked.
“It’s been an eye-opener,” he said, clutching his third place trophy. “I’m really disappointed I didn’t do any better.” His master hugged him, the gesture teetering between matey and possessive.
I guess only the British would be weird enough to make “Pup Play” not about sex, but then you get ‘Sirius Pup Playing As A Pup’ in Australia.
