One Man Spent Thousands To Become A… Dog?

People will often go to extremes to live out their ideal lives. Often, this will consist of spending money to try to look better through plastic surgery or, in the case of K-Pop fans, seeing their favorite idols in concert as often as they would like. But a man in Japan is living out his ideal life after achieving his major life goal … of becoming a dog.

A real collie. | Ramon Fabra/Unsplash

Toco, who has not revealed personal details like his real name or age, began his dog journey in early 2022. He commissioned a model and sculpture company, Zeppet, to create a realistic, rough collie costume for him.

【制作事例 追加】
犬 造型スーツ

個人の方からのご依頼で、犬の造型スーツを制作しました。
コリー犬をモデルにしており、本物の犬と同様に四足歩行のリアルな犬の姿を再現しております🐕

詳細はこちら：https://t.co/0gPoaSb6yn#犬 #Dog #着ぐるみ#特殊造型 #特殊造形 pic.twitter.com/p9072G2846

— 特殊造型ゼペット (@zeppetJP) April 11, 2022

40 days and 2 million yen ($15,700 USD) later, his costume was completed, and Toco was able to begin the process of training to behave like a real dog, which he has documented on his YouTube Channel.

According to Toco, becoming an animal was his childhood fantasy, and he enjoys “doing things that only dogs do.”

While he has achieved his lifelong dream, Toco still has worries about the opinions of others.

I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird. My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.

— Toco

While some may find Toco’s life strange, he has found support in his online community, who often leave supportive comments.

| Zeppet

He even opened up a zoo where visitors can try our a costume similar to his and experience the lifestyle for themselves.

You can check out more from Toco below!