Man Who Identifies As A “Pup” Eats Out Of A Bowl And Barks In Public

Kaz James, a 37-year-old store manager from Greater Manchester has decided to live his life pretending to be a dog. James says that he has never felt like a human, and has found it hard to relate with people his whole life, so he has found a solution in living as a “human pup.”

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“I didn’t ever feel like a human, I always felt like a dog that was really out of place. I never really had a name for it, being a pup wasn’t a thing I knew about. When I met other people like me I felt I could be myself. I was known by my friends for hello to them by grabbing hold of the collar of their shirt in my teeth and biting or licking them, very canine-type behaviors. It was always how I was. The first time I heard the term of being a pup was through a pup I met online. I then met other pups and learned a whole new language of this other world. It was a liberating moment knowing there were other people like me, having felt properly weird for the longest time,‘ James explained.

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James says that he first learned about other human pups through online message boards.

“I realized that my behaviors were quite dog-like in childhood, probably from the age of six. No-one ever talked about it, it was never mentioned. My parents took early retirement and we moved to a farm in Norfolk. It wasn’t until the internet arrived in our house that I started chatting to people online – mostly through groups and message boards. I was living with my parents and I would sneak downstairs at three in the morning to get on the internet to look for this stuff. 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 added.

Whenever James isn’t at work, he is dressed up in dog costumes, and he even eats his meals out of a dog bowl. Some of the fur suits that he wears can cost as much as £2,000.

“My whole lifestyle is about being a pup. 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. If I see pups out in the village, I will bark at them. I get funny reactions from passers-by all the time,” James said.

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James has also written a book called, “How to train a human pup,” in which he advocates for the human-dog lifestyle.

“It’s very much a form of self-expression, what I choose to wear depends on what I’m doing. If I’m going to work, I’m picking things that are fairly mild like a t-shirt that says “pup” on the front. It’s an extension of myself and dressing how I feel. It makes me feel really great when people say I look really good, and it’s great that people get a kick out of it, but it’s not specifically done for other people,” he added.

His lifestyle combines elements of both human and animal, like eating out of a dog bowl with a knife and fork. He says that it makes him feel uncomfortable to eat like a human.

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“I feel a sense of peace being a human pup. Little things make me happy like eating my dinner out of a bowl using a knife and fork. I don’t eat at people’s tables when I go to friends’ houses. I can be a normal person in a restaurant. I’m trained and can deal with humans, but I don’t like it, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t eat dog food, I eat regular food like a normal person. But I do eat Bonios, they’re quite nice,” James said.

James also said that on occasion he does eat some dog treats, but only the ones that are suitable for human consumption.

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“There are loads of dog treats you can get that are human friendly, which are actually quite good for you. I get ones that are a cereal and sugar glucose mix, a really basic dog biscuit, which taste like a vanilla-flavoured digestive biscuit,” James explained.

“It does get hot in there, it’s like walking around wearing a carpet. It’s great for winter, if you’re going to wear it in summer – invest in air conditioning. Those who make the custom rubber suits and fur suits are artists – you’re paying for a piece of custom artwork. Having an entire fur or rubber suit of your character is a really great experience. It gives me the chance to be the best version of myself when I go out,” James said.

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