Puppy is for EVERYBODY!

Puppy is for EVERYBODY!

May 10, 2016 Off By Tycho Aurora

Written By Alpha Pup Rok

The announcement came out that Pup Incus will be judging at IPC this summer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. As many of you know, I am throwing my tail into the ring this year and am SO excited! I am also excited because I get to see Incus again! While I was busy internally wagging (I was at work), my joy was soon struck down a bit. Someone decided to call out Pup Incus and declare that she had no business judging this contest because “puppy” is a gay male fetish. This is, of course, ignoring the fact that Incus is the current International Puppy who won this title last year.

Honestly, my heart sank. Not for Incus, but for the entire puppy community. We are a fringe group that has roots going back centuries. Yes, in recent times, we were seen more in the gay leather community, but we span the gamut. The LGBT community is no stranger to discrimination. Neither are women. So why must we tear each other down? We should be supporting each other, because frankly, being a pup is not always easy. We deal with ridicule from the general populous, as well as within some of our own communities.
My response to this person:
In my opinion, if someone believes that puppy is a “gay-male only” thing, they have not yet had the joy of entering puppy headspace and watching gender, race, age, height, weight, and even disability fade away into the utter pleasure of being a pup with other pups. One of the reasons I have enjoyed being a pup for 20 years is that I can be me, free from labels and stereotypes. And in being that version of me in headspace, I found my true self in every day life. Without the help of other pups along the way (including those of all shapes, sizes, genders, gender identities, races, and so many more things), I wouldn’t be who I am today. When Incus was announced last year, I was at OK Kink Weekend with my partner/pup as he judged the contest there. I ran up at my first opportunity to let everyone know that Incus had won. Not only was I happy for her, but I was happy for this community. Having sat next to her and gotten to know her more at the Southern Most Puppy weekend, I cannot be more excited to have her as our representative.

Puppy is for EVERYBODY!

So, how do we “deal with” people in the community who seem to go against what we are trying to teach? We educate through love. I have invited this person to attend an event local to him where I know pups of all kinds will be in attendance. I have also invited him to Houston to see the Bayou City Pups and the overall community here. We are breaking ground here and tearing down the barriers that used to separate us all, and it’s a beautiful thing. So, while my heart was heavy with seeing the criticism, I decided to fill it with a little bit of hope. I have hope for this community and I have dreams of full inclusion and the destruction of fake and socially constructed boundaries. Every time I enter puppy headspace, any walls I have fall a bit more. Which explains why I am who I am today. Those walls have been chipped away at for 20 years. And I’m proud of who I am and who this community has allowed me to become.

Embrace each other. Love each other.
Much love and nuzzles to you all