When U.K. resident Rachel Watson agreed to marry Tom Peters, she had no idea that she’d also be marrying his desire to live as a human dog. After finding out about his canine lifestyle, they’ve since called off the engagement, but Rachel says the two of them are closer now than they ever were when she was in a relationship with him.
VT
Tom Peters insists this new lifestyle is not focused on any sexual desire, but more from a place of comfort for him. This may be a sign of clinical lycanthropy a rare psychiatric syndrome that causes a delusion in the affected person to want to be turned into a non-human animal.
Tom and Rachel took to the ITV program, This Morning to discuss their current relationship as friends. Rachel says the documentary The Secret Life Of Human Pups in which Tom was featured, helped further her understanding of Tom and others like him. The documentary explores the hidden community of grown men who dress up like dogs for leisure.
For some this fulfills desires in the bedroom, for others like Tom, this fills a deep need and requirement of companionship. When he isn’t dressing up as a puppy, Tom works as a sound and lighting technician for a local theatre company in his hometown. His dedication to becoming a dog in his spare time has gone on for almost a decade.
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Tom has spent nearly £4,000 on his puppy-gear, spends his evenings in a large cage if he desires, and even has “doggy training pads” in case he needs to relieve himself while he’s in the cage. All of these things can be seen in the documentary The Secret Life Of Human Pups.
Tom’s alter ego, the dog he calls Spot, is what he considers to be his true personality. Born out of the kink scene, the human-dog phenomenon has since evolved into an entire culture on its own. Many of these people have what are called “handlers” and in Tom’s case, it’s his friend Collin. Collin and Tom are not in a relationship, not in the strict sense of the word. Collin has simply agreed to become the handler for Tom’s alter ego, Spot. However, they have gone on record to admit they are both friends with benefits, regardless of stating that the human-dog desires are not intimate in nature.
For the most part, however, Tom claims that becoming a human-dog is a source of therapeutic relief for him. For Rachel, she’s happy to have a friend but her relationship with Tom will never be romantic again.
