Man who spent £12,000 turning himself into a dog 'horrifies' people with new challenge – The Mirror
Toco has delighted fans with a recent quest to become even more like a border collie by attempting an agility test – but fans aren’t sure how they feel about it
A man who is fulfiling his lifelong "ambition" of becoming a dog has gone one step further to achieve true pooch status.
Toco is thriving after transforming into a border collie, spending just over two million Yen (£12,000) on the human-sized costume to emulate his favourite dog breed.
To really live like a dog, Toco will go for walks, eat from a dog bowl and enjoy a tummy rub. And now in his latest canine challenge comes in the form of an agility test – leaving some people 'horrified'.
In his garden, he set up a small obstacle to jump over, attaching a pole to two mounts. Toco started off the video with a confident wave before he attempted to jump over the small hurdle, but it doesn't seem as if he could quite get the co-ordination of jumping over it on all fours like a dog would do.
He lifted his front paws off the ground but seemed to lose his balance when coming back down and landed in a heap on the obstacle, with his back legs not even making it it over the pole. Looking defeated, Toco wasn't able to make the jump and clear it like a collie would – but he'll likely keep practising to nail the hurdle.
In a previous chat with The Mirror, Toco shared the reality behind his journey, admitting he gets upset when trolls judge him. He candidly opened up about his fears about 'coming out' in real life because of the reaction he gets and said: "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.
"Since childhood, I have had this unspecific fantasy of becoming an animal. I wonder whether it was a desire for transformation," he added. Despite forking out thousands of pounds on a hyperrealistic collie costume, Toco still struggles with people's perceptions of his hobby.
When asked about the negative remarks he gets around the fetish, Toco told The New York Post: "I'm just sad that people can think that. I love animals and enjoy play-acting like a collie. This is my hobby, so I will carry on. It makes me happy and other people happy, too."
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