WHEN WORLDS CONVERGE: Pups and the Leather World

 

Over the course of my travels and meetings in the pup community, I encounter many questions about how we pups fit in with the broader leather and fetish world – or if we even need to fit in at all. I also often hear pups asking how newer pups can learn more about the leather community. At the same time, I hear comparable questions coming from leather folk and kinksters about the pup community. Fortunately, these questions are very closely related, and the answers – while maybe not complete – can address all of them.

Now, I don’t pretend for even a moment to be an expert on either the puppy world or the broader leather and fetish community. My experience in the former goes back only six years and a little more than a decade in the latter. There are plenty of people in both who have been involved far longer than I have, and my own experiences pale in comparison. Every time I’m out an event or just talking with someone online or at a chance meeting, I almost always walk away having learned something new.  Having said that, however, I feel somewhat comfortable enough to give some general answers to the questions mentioned.

Of course, when it comes to the pup world, our own diversity isn’t limited to leather. Even though our roots, at least in the U.S., can be traced back to the earlier leather community, our own growth has encompassed a larger cross-section of interests. We have among us a number of pups who don’t identify with leather at all. A large percentage of us are more into rubber or other non-leather gear, and pups who aren’t into any kink or fetish beyond pup play. Many are comfortable being just on the fringe of the leather & fetish world, and that is perfectly fine.

But there are those who are interested in learning more and opening the door to make those connections. And there are those on the other side of that door trying to learn more about us. That is where it can all begin to come together.

Granted, the world of leather and fetish can seem a little daunting to the unknowing outsider looking in. Even though the leather mystique that’s been built up has been rendered somewhat translucent with the advent of social networking, there’s still a lot to navigate. Fortunately, for us pups, making the connection from our community to the broader leather & fetish world can be a little easier because, in some ways, we already are part of it.

There are a number of ways in which the puppy world isn’t so different from the broader leather and fetish community. Ways that actually bring us into the circle. True, many of these are more subtle than we realize, but some are quantifiable. For starters, pup play is widely viewed as a kink or fetish, even if our individual definitions for being pups go beyond that. We flag our interests as pups in ways comparable to how leatherfolk communicate their interests. We use the same hanky code, just that ours often include chew toys or other pup-related items. For many of us, our fetish and kink interests include more than just puppy play, same as our brothers and sisters in the broader community. Our pup/handler relationships have a number of parallels to and overlaps with the D/s relationships found among some leatherfolk. Our gear interests are mirrored all throughout the wider community.

True, these commonalities are only a start, but they might help alleviate some of the sharper apprehensions among newer pups when it comes to the leather world. Because these are more than just similarities. These are the ways in which we already are part of the whole. And, if knowing that can ease concerns even if only slightly, it becomes that much easier to make the next step.

That step is learning to navigate the differences. And these are where both sides continue to come together, hopefully to learn and exchange ideas and to mutually grow.  Fortunately, all it takes is respect, patience, and a willingness to learn. There’s a lot that can be learned just by watching – and watching can often give rise to the questions we want to ask to understand better. There are a lot of excellent resources out there, in print or in person. Quite often the experiences of one can resonate with someone else and open entirely new vistas for growth. And the more we learn as individuals and share amongst ourselves as a group, the more we all learn and grow.

Do we, the puppy world, need to fit in? No, we don't need to fit in. But there are advantages to not being completely separate. Again, many of our roots lie in the leather world, even if the spirit of pup play itself has grown and taken on new depth over the years. However, there remains still a lot of misunderstanding of where we've come from and what we've become, and by being connected we can overcome that.  Many pups and handlers find their way to us through the leather & fetish community. Still, it’s just as important that we keep that identity which defines us as the puppy world. We can find a respected place in the broader scene, but we need to be respected just as much for who and what we are. Even if, over time, the two converge even more, we also need to always be proud of ourselves as pups.