The Guardian and the BBC want you to meet the 'men who live as dogs' [video]

Greg P. | 1:06 PM on May 25, 2016

https://twitter.com/jonahkeri/status/735490479479918592

The Guardian has a new piece out today titled, “The men who live as dogs: ‘We’re just the same as any person on the high street'” and it’s every bit as awful as you’d imagine:

nobody write anything else today ok https://t.co/DFvHD9rESp pic.twitter.com/d0dQaeHkza

— Bobby Blanchard (@bobbycblanchard) May 25, 2016

There’s nothing that can top this today. NOTHING.

Most disturbing story of the day. I think. I mean … whatever … https://t.co/U1Bu1zbQMR

— Jeff Blair (@SNJeffBlair) May 25, 2016

Every once in a while you find something you have to share in silent shock. https://t.co/ZLomlz3WNZ

— M@ (@MattSpiegel670) May 25, 2016

This can’t be real https://t.co/18muu0hA2f

— Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) May 25, 2016

Oh, it’s real. According to the caption, the woman in the photo is the Dalmatian’s “former fiancee”:

https://twitter.com/rynprry/status/735492641245237248

And apparently there’s some sort of documentary on “Human Pups” set to air on the BBC. Here’s the trailer:

An excerpt:

In the documentary, we see Tom, AKA Spot, take part in the Mr Puppy Europe competition in Antwerp, a mix of beauty pageant, talent show and Crufts; David, AKA Bootbrush, talk to camera in a leather dog mask; two pups walk through London pretending to wee on lampposts to raise awareness of their identity; and lots of men jumping up for “treats”, barking and wagging their mechanical tails.

When I speak to Tom, he is keen to point out that puppy play is about more than just outfits and surface-level power games: it’s about being given licence to behave in a way that feels natural, even primal. “You’re not worrying about money, or food, or work,” says Tom, who works as an engineer in a theatre. “It’s just the chance to enjoy each other’s company on a very simple level.”