There's more to animal play than 'dress up'
Animal play is also known as pet play and involves a submissive person taking on the role of a particular animal. Most of these roles are pets such as puppies, kittens and ponies but rarer animals can by imitated too. A dominant who looks after a person during animal play is known as an owner or a trainer. They may get their pet to accept treats from their hand, crawl on all fours or wear a lead for example. It all depends on what kind of animal their pet is.
What is animal play?
Animal play is where one or more submissive person takes on the role of an animal to a dominant owner or trainer. When in the role of an animal the submissive loses their human traits and takes on those of their chosen pets. Some will walk on hands and knees, drink and eat out of bowls and wear a collar and leash. Others may pull carriages, wear harnesses and take treats from their owner’s hand. It all depends on which pet role is taken on.
Is animal play just playing 'dress up'?
The simple answer is no. While a person is in their role as a pet, they are thoroughly immersed in this, not just playing dress up. It is very much about submission to their dominant/owner, and for many pets, it is an escape from their stressful human lives.
What are the typical animal play roles?
Most animal play concentrates on domesticated pets. Most often this is puppies and kittens. Puppies are playful but can be trained whereas kitties are more independent and like lots of stroking. Pony play is also popular with the ponies taking on different roles from being ridden to learning certain moves similar to dressage or pulling a carriage.
Is animal play safe?
Animal play is safe as long as the usual BDSM rules are followed around safewords and not leaving a person in bondage for too long. The person who takes on the owner role needs to keep a close eye on their pet/animal to make sure they don’t do something while in role that could hurt them. "