Pet Play 101 With Evie Lupine Video Transcript 

Hello, everyone. My name is Evie Lupine. And today we’re here with Zipper Magazine to talk about how to get into pet play.

Right now we’re getting into the Halloween season, which means there are a ton of great costumes out there like black cats and werewolves, that would be ideal for starting to experiment with pet play for the first time. However, before we get into ideas for getting into pet play, let’s talk about exactly what pet play is, just to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Pet play is a form of animal roleplay done in a BDSM context, where one or more of the participants takes on the role of being a pet. And there are a ton of motivations and activities associated with pet play. A lot of people enjoy it because it can be a form of stress relief, it can be really relaxing, it can also be super bonding with a partner in a romantic relationship. And there’s tons of other reasons.

Some of the activities that people associate with pet play include things like trick and treat training, walking on a leash, using bondage instruments, such as fist mitts or caging; vocal restrictions, eating from a bowl or playing on the floor, or even things that are just super simple like cuddling up with your partner on the couch, resting your head against their lap, while you just have them stroke you and pet you and they talk to you and tell you you’re a good girl or a good boy in that really like cutesy baby animal voice if you know what I’m talking about.

So there’s tons of things that go into pet play and tons of different motivations. But one of the first things that people think about with pet play is: okay, what can you actually be in pet play?

And I would say as far as BDSM goes, there are three main types of pets you will see within the community. Number one would be puppy play, then there’s also kitten play and pony play. And there are some stereotypical associations that people make with these pets. They think: Oh, only gay men can be puppies; only cishet women are ever kittens. And that is totally not the case. Pet play is open to anyone of any gender, any background, any orientation.

I myself, despite these ears, looking like kitten ears, to some people, I am a female pet player. And I know male kitten players, I know people all across the spectrum that do all different types of pet play.

It also doesn’t have to be just those three main things. People also are cows and pigs and raccoons and dragons and foxes and mer-creatures and all sorts of stuff. So it’s really only limited by your imagination and what you personally want to do not any kind of like BDSM ruleset. Don’t be afraid to experiment. But at the same time, it can be daunting. How do I know what kind of pet I might want to be? Maybe everything sounds appealing and you want to narrow it down.

Or maybe you’re like, I mean, it sounds like a cool idea. But I don’t really know what might work for me. And so I would start by looking at the associations you make with different types of pets. Do you think about a royal lap dog or a hunting hound or a strong work horse or a bratty kitten? Of those things you associate, do any of them mesh with you? Do they resonate with you personally? Do they match your personality? Do they seem like something that would be fun to play? It can really just be as simple as that.

But if that really isn’t popping up with any answers, you might want to ask your partner, your friends: “Hey, if I was an animal, what kind of animal would I be?” Maybe that’ll give you a place to start. Also, if you do other types of BDSM —though you don’t have to — pet play is a great way for getting into BDSM and exploring different areas within that outside of just roleplay.

But if you do have other types of BDSM that you already engage in, a lot of people do find that certain animal head spaces mesh really well with other kinks they have or power exchange relationships that they have. A lot of people for example, that are brats or littles find that a kitten headspace works for them. People that are into service might also mesh well with being a puppy or a pony. People that are into humiliation play resonate with being a pig or a cow. There’s tons of different areas within that. Those are some ways that you can start to explore “Okay, what kind of pet might I want to be?” But really, you might not know until you actually get started. Instead of worrying about “Oh my gosh, I’ve got to pick the right pet to do the right thing,” just don’t worry about it. Try it out. Start slowly and if it works, keep going with it. If it doesn’t speak to you try something else take a break. Come back to it later.

But the really key thing here is: “Okay, if I want to do pet play, how can I get into actually doing that? What do I need to have?”

To say this right off the bat: gear is not required for pet play. If you don’t want it, if you can’t afford it — any reason — you do not have to buy gear. But a lot of people really enjoy it, and they find it helps them more easily get into the type of headspace they want to be in.

This is where Halloween comes into it. Because now is like the best, most covert time for getting things like ears or tails or maybe certain prosthetics or a mask or maybe a full body suit. This is a really great time, especially if you can get like secondhand Halloween stuff. It’s a great opportunity for trying out pet play for the first time, or trying out different head spaces.

This also goes for people that are into being on the other side of the slash with a pet player being a pet owner, trainer, Master, etc. Great time for getting things like farmer’s outfits or like a police handler’s outfit if you want to do police, police dog, canine roleplay, there are lots of options for that as well.

Now if you’re watching this and it’s outside of Halloween, the next most obvious thing to try is a pet store or a tack and feed store if you are more on the barnyard/pony-play side of the spectrum. And with that do not go to the store in your roleplay headspace; go in as an everyday functional adult human being. Just go there and see what seems interesting. You can get stuff like animal bowls, leashes, leads, collars — you can also get things like animal beds or cages. If you get a cage-like Great Dane size, it’ll probably work for most people. If you want to go more in that direction with your pet play. You can get things like cones of shame. I think these have a name besides that. But if you’re into again, that humiliation play or medical play, this can be a really good way to incorporate that into your animal roleplay headspace. And also if you want to go more like a cozy, cuddly direction, kind of low-key, this can also be a good way obviously to get things like chew toys or animal beds. And you can just have one on the floor next to your couch and have that be the way that you do your pet play.

Just being a couch potato is a totally valid way of doing pet play. But if you do want to take things to that next level, there are obviously ways to do that that are kind of outside of the scope of this video. But I will say though, there are parties and activities, things you can go to that are centered around being a pet player — dungeon nights, things like that — if you are getting into this for the first time, I do recommend doing this at home in a space you know pretty well. Because as Love and Leashes so wonderfully showed us, it can be unexpectedly deep the first time you get into really, really getting into an animal headspace. 

You don’t want to start messing up other people’s furniture or chasing other dogs at the pet play event. So before you really know how you’re going to react when you are in your own headspace, I would keep it low-key, keep it simple, and try it at home first or in a safe space that you know fairly well.

Also, I will say that though most people do pet play in a relationship in a dynamic, you can do it solo, you can start to do this on your own by yourself. It might feel a little bit awkward, but you can totally get into your own headspace by yourself, play by yourself and get to know your pet side even when you don’t necessarily have a partner. If you don’t want to use any gear at all, if you want to keep this really low-key and low-budget, that is totally valid.

With that, I would think about things like trick training or vocal restrictions; maybe setting it up so, today from 4pm when I get home from work until 10pm, the only noise you can make is whatever noise your chosen animal makes. No English, no human sounds, just animal sounds. That can be really, really challenging, but also fun. And again, you can also do things like just putting cushions on the floor, and then having that be a makeshift pet bed. 

Just use your imagination, get creative, and do what feels right to you.

Don’t worry about appearances. Don’t worry about, “Oh my gosh, am I doing this right?” Just let the headspace come out naturally, and listen to what your body and mind are telling you. And as long as everything is consensual and negotiated. that’s all good, that’s what really matters.

So that is all I have to say about how to get into pet play. There’s so much within this topic. If you guys want to hear more about that. I do have that on my YouTube channel. And again, thank you so so much to Zipper for making this possible and I will talk to you again very soon.

Bye!