Japanese man who spent $20,000 to become a dog steps out in collie costume for the first time

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A Japanese person, who spent $20,000 (Dh73,460) to transform into a collie dog, has ventured out of his house for the first time in his canine costume. The man, who has not revealed his identity, shot to limelight last year when he expressed his wish to become a dog and hired a company to design the costume and fulfil his desire.

In a YouTube channel named "I want to be an animal", the man identifies himself as Toco. He routinely shares updates on his life as a “dog”. In his latest video, posted on July 21, Toco goes out in public for the first time and interacts with people and other dogs. “I became a collie, fulfilling a dream I had since I was a little child to be an animal,” the subtitles in the video read.

In the video, Toco is seen rolling on the ground and behaving like a dog as he gets interviewed by German TV station RTL.

Later, a furball goes past Toco and soon other dog owners gather around him to click pictures. Some passersby are seen patting Toco while others watch him curiously.

In a video uploaded last year in September, Toco shared that he wrote about wanting to become a dog and walk outside in his grade school graduation book. “It’s thought-provoking to think that such an unrealistic dream of my childhood will come true,” he added.

While Toco may have gone out in public wearing the dog costume, he hasn’t revealed his identity yet. According to Daily Mail, he has kept his human face hidden fearing that people would judge him.

“I don't want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with,” Toco was quoted as saying. “They think it's weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can't show my real face,” Toco added.

According to the Mirror, Toco chose to become a collie dog because it is his favourite breed. He reached out to a Japanese company, Zeppet, which creates sculptures and models for movies last year, and got his dog costume made. It took around 40 days for the agency to design the costume and give it the appearance of a real dog.