Japanese man who spent $16K to become a ‘dog’ struggles to make friends with real canines
By Carl Samson
October 3, 2023
The Japanese man who has built a following for transforming himself into a “dog” is reportedly being shunned by actual canines.
Catch up: The man, who goes by “Toco,” shot to global fame last year after spending 2 million yen (around $16,000 at the time) on a hyperrealistic rough collie costume. He has since launched a YouTube channel where he chronicles his adventures — including news interviews and public walks — in his four-legged suit.
Friendship struggles: Despite his convincing appearance, Toco says he faces difficulties in befriending real-life dogs. “They seemed a little surprised and unfortunately, they did not treat me as an equal,” he told The Sun in a new interview.
Clips from his first public walk with German TV station RTL shows Toco meeting actual dogs. While they seemed curious at first, Toco was ultimately left on his own with humans.
Moving forward: Toco may find it hard to be pals with real dogs, but he has long expressed hopes to meet like-minded people who dress up as canines. He previously told the New York Post that meetups would be “great.”
He also wants to star in a movie. “I think it would be great if I were able to use my skills and get the opportunity to appear as a dog in a movie,” he told the Post.
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