Okay, everyone, it is time to discuss pup play.
Perhaps you are familiar with the practice of role-playing (sometimes sexually, sometimes not) as a dog. That’s pretty much all there is to it, and what exactly it means is up to you. You might have a leash and a collar; or chew on a bone; or do some obedience training; or just kind of roll around with some guys and bark. Oh sure, it looks kind of silly … but have you ever seen how undignified people look like during vanilla sex?
We asked a few pups what they like about getting down on all fours. “Everything,” said one.
“A good rub down,” said another.
And a handler explained that his favorite part is “my pup’s complete acceptance and love. He’s my confidant and sexy little beast.” Awww.
Pup play’s been around for years, but for some reason it’s been experiencing something of a renaissance. Over the last year, new pup play groups have sprung up in a couple different cities; events are drawing larger crowds; and in perhaps the greatest barometer of popular trends, there are more pup Tumblrs than ever before.
For some reason, 2014 is shaping up to be the year of the pup, with a community that’s growing like gangbusters. There’s a camp for pups called Camp K-9 in Washington state. There are whole shops devoted to buying tails and harnesses and bone-shaped gags, or a veterinarian’s outfit. Pup artisans can craft elaborate outfits for you. There’s a pup broadcasting star on the delightful No Safe Word podcast.
A kindly handler in Australia has put together a whole series of how-to videos for the aspiring pup.
There’s even an Indiegogo happening right now for a British maker of pup accessories. And you can find pup play parties from Portland to San Diego to Chicago to Missouri to Toronto to Saint Louis. In fact, the only city without a pup scene is San Francisco. Ha ha ha, just kidding, of course San Francisco is like ground zero for pupping out.
Now let’s get down to brass tacks. If you’re ready to dive into the world of pup play, where do you start? We asked Gabriel Green, Mr. L.A. Leather Bear 2014 and the organizer of Lost Puppy, a hugely successful pup party at The Eagle L.A. “To all single puppies looking to attract a handler,” he advised, “Don’t be ruff around the edges and have an open heart thats looking to be loved.”
But a lot of pups find it difficult to let go of their inhibitions, since we have a lot of social programming that tells us not to act like a dog. If you want to just let your mind go free and submit to a loving handler, of vice versa, what’s the best way to get over the hurdle of self-consciousness?
“Let go of the societal stereotypes,” says L.A. Band of Brothers President Jeremy Ronceros. “Let go of what we should do, what is masculine and proper. … Those external concepts melt away.”
Nowhere is that advice more evident at Eagle L.A.’s Lost Puppy, where an affectionate bunch of pups and handlers and leatherfolk and bears all mingled and barked this weekend.
Check out the photos below…
Names: John, Nick, Mr. L.A. Leather Bear Gabriel Green, and L.A. Band of Brothers President Jeremy Ronceros
Favorite Famous Dogs: Snoopy, Brian, Odie, Tramp, Wishbone, Eddie, Rin Tin Tin
Names: Zach and Cockpit
Favorite Famous Dog: Brian
Names: Ryan, Yoshi, Gary, Beacon
Favorite Famous Dogs: Marmaduke, Brian
Names: Xavier and Scott
Favorite Famous Dog: Snoopy
Names: Kieshav, mysterious “straight” guy, and Ali
Favorite Famous Dogs: Lassie, Brian, Toto, Scooby Doo, Courage
Name: Sir Erik and Hiram
Favorite Famous Dog: Beethoven
Name: Kryzstofer
Favorite Famous Dog: Snoopy
Names: Pug and Garrett
Favorite Famous Dog: Snoopy
Names: Patrick and Jose
Favorite Famous Dog: Underdog
Names: Ozzie and John
Favorite Famous Dogs: Pluto, Scooby Doo, Scooby
Name: Klaus and Chartreusec
Favorite Famous Dogs: Balto and Scooby Doo
Here’s Mr. LA Leather Eric Leue with his arm around Pup Niko.
Name: John
Favorite Famous Dog: Clifford
Name: Todd and an unnamed stray
Favorite Famous Dog: Benji
Name: Lisa, Sanjay, Peter and Bryan
Favorite Famous Dogs: Scooby Doo, Air Bud, the Queen’s corgis, Courage, and Riot Dog
Name: Frankie, John and Doug
Favorite Famous Dogs: Lassie, Clifford and Snoopy
Stache99
Umm..ok. Not my cup of tea but sort of interesting.
Teeth
Nothing says “I demand equal treatment” like leading your lover around on a leash.
Lvng1tor
Very few of the people who say they are “into” it truly live the lifestyle. Most are just intrigued or playing at it. Hey, what ever floats your boat and it’s consensual, respectful and not safely done who am I to judge. It’s not for me…I don’t mind being treated like a bitch (Not the dog type….lol) in the bed but don’t dare do it outside of sex.
Lvng1tor
@Teeth: It happens in the straight world too. This isn’t just a gay thing. Retract your claws! This is about sexual acts not about sexual orientation. It also doesn’t mean that some of these people aren’t contributing to society in a meaningful way…this is play…Is your entire personality/self worth/societal impact based on you sucking dick?
Dxley
That was …. disgusting!
throwslikeagirl
Awesome comment, Lvng1tor. I completely agree. Whatever floats yer boat and is consensual and no one gets hurt.
tardis
Hmm.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Not as bad as adult babies in diapers…however just imagining those inevitable scenarios of blocked anal glands needing expressing, and rubberised pooper scoopers, makes me wanna vomit..return to vomit..eat vomit. Woof!
#TeamVanilla — it’s the new exotic.
vive
Fetish guys are so high maintenance, so I avoid them, but to each his own 🙂
Teeth
@Lvng1tor: That’s dishonest, and you know it. Of course there are straight fetish people, but not in nearly the same #s. You’re acting like someone who goes to Folsom and insists it’s not about gay people since there are 10 straight folks there and 3 lesbians.
These variations of “Power play”, ESPECIALLY when lifestyle, are introjected less-than status. If you enjoy it, it’s your own personal stuff… until you share it with the world, and then it’s a perfect counter-argument to the push for equality.
vive
@Teeth, don’t fetish people deserve equality too? Or do you only want equality for the “moral majority”?
Teeth
@vive: No one is ever going to treat you better than your family. And if your family puts you on a chain and walks you around town, and puts you in a kennel cage at night, I don’t think that the world is going to view him as an equal. IOW: If you don’t see him as one, why would I?
ChickenLady
I like pretending to be a cat- I call it pussy play. *squawk*
vive
@Teeth, you have no clue about how fetish play works, do you? Maybe you should inform yourself a bit better before making wildly ignorant statements about it.
Teeth
@vive: Pass. I’d rather be educated on personal power and social change.
I’ll work to make my marriage legally equal, and I’ll strive to give my husband all the rights of other married people. You work on your obedience leash & cage training.
Stache99
@vive: “you should inform yourself a bit better before making wildly ignorant statements”
Hope no one takes your advise. Otherwise, 80% of the Queerty commenters would disappear.
vive
@Teeth, as I mentioned before, I am not a fetish person, but at least I am not proud of my own ignorance like some people who don’t deserve the equality they are getting by riding on braver people’s coattails. There are many sources if you want to educate yourself; one that I might suggest is Dan Savage, but there are others in case for some reason you don’t like him either.
Teeth
@vive: Like I said— Zero interest in learning how to loose personal authority, debase my husband, or undermine the fight for equality.
vive
@Teeth, the only person undermining the fight for equality here is you.
Teeth
@vive: Seen a lot of pictures of me eating out of a dog bowl, or my husband on a leash? No.. I didn’t think so.
vive
@Teeth, how is that possibly relevant?
Silverback
I guess it wouldn’t be a proper article about kink without at least one bourgie establishmentarian clutching her pearls over how the image projected by queer kinksters is just oh so damaging to the orthodox LGB(and T… when we feel like it) agenda.
I’m much more embarrassed that an institution as shitty as marriage has become the locus of the GSM rights movement.
vive
@Silverback, exactly. You have to wonder at the irony of these people walking on eggshells worrying about what straight people will think of them and thinking that is freedom and equality.
Off-topic, totally agreed on the marriage comment, but that is probably another discussion.
jlvsmsl
@teeth- you have made me chuckle. I am one of the pups above, and it is amazing to me how opinionated you are about my lifestyle,my contributions to society, and what I apparently do and don’t do without having any remote idea or fractional understating of what the play entails. So let me just briefly inform you that I happen to be a lawyer, have been practicing law for over 15 years and have served countless hours so that you and I can have the right marry. Not to mention I have dedicated my life to ensuring that if I choose to be led by a leash then that is my damn right too since oh wait it has nothing to do with being controlled. Imagine that! So please don’t judge me and I will extend the same courtesy to not believe you are an idiot or to even think your head is farther up your own ass than mine sniffing a fellow play mates tail. Woof.
Paco
I think they look cute. Any time I have attempted to role-play, my partner just ended up frustrated because I wasn’t doing it right. Guess I am just a vanilla kind of guy. Too old for that stuff now anyway. Have fun guys!
blakerz88
@teeth “I’ll work to make my marriage legally equal, and I’ll strive to give my husband all the rights of other married people.”
Please tell me what you have done to directly contribute to marriage equality, because if I took a guess Pup jlvsmsl has probably contributed faaaar more than you while maintaining an active personal life exploring his pup side and the camaraderie and brotherhood that is developed amongst pups and handlers and others in that community.
I’ll go ahead and educate you a bit too, pups *almost* demand more respect and equality in a pup/handler relationship as you have to fully understand the needs and desires of a pup when playing or living as a handler. You are fully responsible for said person when they are in a pup headspace, therefore, you better treat them just like family or you could harm them physically or emotionally. There is far more to it than it seems you will ever be willing to understand. It’s a shame you are so discriminate to those in your own culture. :/