Man who spent more than £12,000 to become a dog is worried his friends might think he’s ‘weird’

Fans have labelled him an 'inspiration'

A Japanese man who has spent £12,480 to look like a dog has said he's worried his friends will think he's weird if he tells them.

Toco spent 2,000,000 Yen on a human-sized collie costume and shares updates of his life as a 'giant dog' on YouTube.

He says has always dreamed of "becoming an animal" and now dresses up as a dog a few times a month to live his childhood fantasy.

Toco regularly shares videos of himself on his YouTube channel 動物になりたい(I want to be an animal), doing things like learning how to eat, play and train like a pooch.

Speaking about how people he knows react to his weird past time, Toco told the Mirror : "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."

[caption id="attachment_372063" align="alignnone" width="1342"] (動物になりたい(I want to be an animal)/Youtube)[/caption] Toco says he most enjoys "doing things that only dogs do" because it makes him feel like a proper pet. He finds activities that involve his hands the most difficult as his paws often get in the way. Who'd have thought it hey?

"Since childhood, I have had this unspecific fantasy of becoming an animal. I wonder whether it was a desire for transformation," Toco explained.

Clips on Toco's social media show him doing everything you'd expect a dog to do. He'll roll over for belly rubs, pretend to sit and lift his paws and walk on a lead just like a proper pooch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CiHY845YZs He even chooses to eat fake dog food from a bowl. Toco chose to look like a collie because that is his favourite breed, and bought the pricey costume from a Japanese agency known for creating sculptures and models for films. It apparently took the company 40 days to put the costumer together, partly because Toco kept asking them to add improvements. The company say they spent a lot of time studying the skeleton structure of a dog in order to create the most realistic costume as possible for Toco. He now has fans from all over the world, and many share their support and admiration for him. "You inspire us to fulfil our dreams too," one subscriber under a recent video, while another said: "I hope I become the animal I want to be as well. You're an inspiration to us." Some also reassure him that he isn't weird and encourage him to be open with his friends and family about his unique hobby. "Don't be nervous of people seeing you! You're just a guy with a quirky hobby. There's nothing wrong with that!" someone wrote. Related links:

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