February 2020 Creature Feature - Bun Bun!

The pet play lifestyle is full of so many voices that make it unique and vibrant. To showcase this, every month we will be shining the spotlight on a particular human animal or Handler in our community. Let's hear what makes every pet player special!

This February, we're shining the spotlight on a very special bunny. Adorable and oh-so-fancy, we can't wait to learn more about this wonderful pet who's hopped into our hearts...

BUN BUN!!

Please introduce yourself and how you identify in pet play

Hi, I'm BunBun. I'm a boy! I'm a girl! I'm a bunny! I'm a Gender Queer and queer bun, who's been in the kink community for close to two years. In the last year, I recently discovered the fantastic world of pet play, and I've been having a wonderful time exploring it!

I'm a bunny with a ton of different traits. I can be a very playful, adorable, and sexy bunny! I love cuddles, love the compliments and love dressing up. I am a submissive at heart, a bottom, and an exploring bun in the kink world. I'm always learning and exploring the community at hand. I'm a very community-driven person, and I'm at a ton of different events. I'm still somewhat new to the pet play scene, but it has become something that I adore and a part of my identity.

How did you get into pet play? Specifically, how did you discover you're a bunny?

I've been curious about pet play for a while, but I spent my first year in the scene exploring the general LA Kink Scene. I spent some time familiarizing myself with the scene, the people, and exploring kink. It wasn't until recently within the last half of 2019 that I decided to explore the pet play scene and community.

For me, a "bunny" is what I felt best represented me; a reflection of all the things I identify as. More so, I thought that it encompassed my personality. I have a bit of an introvert personality. I'm usually a quiet person and don't really open up until I get to know someone. I can be very sociable, of course, but it's not something that comes naturally. In that sense, I felt that for me, a bunny worked best. I also decided to identify as a bunny due to my personality when it comes to kink. I identify as a submissive, I love being a bottom, and all that encompasses that. For me, in that sense being a pet, a bunny just felt right to me.

The pet play community played a crucial part in my growth as a bunny. I initially discovered my identity as a bunny through my exploration of the general kink community. My curiosity about pet play led me to interact with various pets and critters. I grew as a bunny when I got involved with the events held by SoCal Creatures. Their pet mosh in September 2019 was the first pet play event I had attended, and I just absolutely fell in love with the community. It was such a different energy and environment from any of my previous experiences in dungeons. The energy, the people, and the sense of community is what really brought me home.

What are your favorite toys and treats?

I still consider myself to be a very new bunny in the pet play scene, so I haven't been able to explore much of the pet play staples of toys and treats. Where I have found an interest early on has been the gear and clothing.

I love dressing up! You are likely to see me running around in my bunny outfits at different events. I love exploring my bunny self through my clothing. I have a ton of different pairs of bunny ears and tails for every occasion! I have a variety of different types of outfits on top of that too. I can go from being a classy bunny, to a sexy bun, to even a naughty one, in a hippity hoppity second hehe!

One of my favorite toys/gear is a custom made pair of bunny paws made by a member and a friend of mine in the LA pet scene. It's a set of fur-covered gloves in white and black, with these fun metal claws. They are white and black because in my bunny persona, I am a white and black bunny. I love having my gear as an extension of myself. It is a visual representation to the world that I am a bunny. It helps me communicate myself without the need of having to explain myself. It's a way to express my inner pet, so those around me can understand me, and for myself to get more into that headspace.

How, if at all, do your other kinks/fetishes mesh with your style of pet play?

My kinks and fetishes all intermingle with my pet play. I'm a kinky bunny that's for sure, and my kinks play a crucial part in representing me; In the cliche manner that I can be a rope bunny, a needle bunny, an impact bunny, and so much more. Being a bunny is a vessel of sorts for my kinks. I'm submissive, a masochist, a bottom, and all of that plays a role in my pet play.

Kink is a part of my identity, and it's one of the most crucial things that has allowed me to explore being a bunny in the first place. Kink allowed me to gain the confidence to express myself how I wanted to. My kinks are part of my pet play because my kinks are intermingled with my identity.

What puts you into your pet headspace?

I can get in my bunny headspace through a combination of different things. One of the simplest ways for me to get my pet space is being treated as a pet. For me, that can mean being petted, cuddled, given treats, called a "Good Bunny" or being addressed by my pet name "BunBun." I'm a very affectionate bunny, and having that affection reciprocated as a pet is crucial for me.

Dressing up also contributes to me getting into a pet headspace. I love wearing my ears, tail, and collar. It helps people recognize me as a bunny, and that is really helpful for my headspace when I don't need to explain to people that I'm a bunny, and others automatically recognize me as such. In that sense as well, being surrounded by other pets and critters can also contribute to my headspace. It is always great to meet other pets and critters. It is especially fun being at pet-related events and being surrounded by that atmosphere that gets me into my headspace.

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What do you love most about pet play?

I love being a pet. One of the things I love about pet play is the energy and dynamic that's associated with pet play. For me, the things that I enjoy come from the fact that I can be something else than my regular human self. I'm able to express myself in ways that I usually don't. That freedom of expression has been such a positive release of energy. It's not something that I've only experience myself, but it's something that I've seen in the community.

The community is fantastic. I've met many other wonderful pets and critters, that's one of those things that I love about pet play are the people. The energy I've encountered has been so positive, fun, and liberating at all the moshes. Every time that I met other pets, there's been some mutual understanding of one another, allowing for the building of a connection. That is something that pulls me in and brings me to love pet play. The energy that not only I feel as a bunny, but that I see other pets experience too!

Follow BunBun on Instagram at @michael.bunbun to keep up with this bunny's hippity-hoppity fun!

Welcome to SoCal Creatures!

We are a family of pet and animal players in Los Angeles with a driving desire to form an inclusive community. We come from all walks of life with a myriad of ethnicities, sexualities, gender presentations, and animal/Handler identifications. We have different styles and enjoy various other kinks, but we have something essential in common: our love for the wild, creative world of pet play.

As you step with us into this exciting world, let's answer some basics.

Our 2019 September mosh at Dungeon East

What is Pet Play?

Pet play is a form of BDSM/kink in which a person, typically in a submissive role, behaves like an animal while another, typically in a Dominant role, acts as the human “Owner,” “Trainer,” or “Handler.”

Because this play typically involves some degree of power exchange, pet play relationships are often structured as a form of D/s. However, play can also occur when 2 or more individuals play as animals with each other, regardless of whether or not a power exchange dynamic (such as Alpha/beta/omega) exists between them.

The most common animals in pet play are pups, kittens, foxes and ponies. However, you can be anything! Wolves, red pandas, bears, raccoons, deers, frogs, lizards, wildcats, hellhounds, birds, dragons, unicorns - the only limit is your imagination.

What does a Handler Do?

The Handler (or Owner/Trainer, depending on the dynamic) typically takes on a caregiver-type role in the relationship. Their primary purpose is to make sure their pet is hydrated, fed, happy, and has a safe space to be their truest animal self.

Similar to other D/s relationships, a good Handler encourages their pet to be the best they can be, and teaches them how to best obey, serve, and act according to their Handler's wishes. In essence, they are responsible for their pet's safety, wellbeing, and training during play.

Wiley Wolfe & Titus Hound teaching Pet Play 101 at Dyke Day LA 2019

How can I play safely?

We will go over this in more detail in a later post. However, there are some basics that are important to cover right away.

Always negotiate before a scene. Discuss limits, triggers, interests, safe words/signals, food allergies/dietary restrictions (for treats), and any relevant medical conditions.

NEVER use real pet food or treats! Feed your human pet according to their human body. Real pet food is not good for them and can in fact be toxic. There are many human foods out there - such as scooby snacks, jerky, goldfish, beef stew, chili, sushi, etc. - that can mimic the "real" experience without being harmful.

Pets should wear kneepads and padded mitts/gloves for protection while playing actively on all fours. Sleeve style kneepads are best.

Handlers should keep a first aid kit on hand at all times. Accidents happen, and it's important to be prepared.

Always practice SCC (Safe, Sane, Consensual) and RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink).

Daddy Row and Pup Papi at our 2019 September Mosh @ Dungeon East

Why do we engage in pet play, anyway?

It's fair to be confused at first. After all, it's not common to see people acting like pets and Handlers, wearing animal masks and playing with toys on all fours. However, there are many reasons why people engage in this lifestyle. While everyone has their own answers, here are some common ones:

SELF-EXPRESSION. Shedding one’s human inhibitions and acting on primal instinct, fully trusting their Handler to care for them, can be freeing and beautiful. It’s about giving you permission to engage in innocent, honest play, as if you were a child again.

DE-STRESS. Letting go of all human problems/worries and just living in the moment as a pet can be extremely relaxing, almost like a form of meditation. It's a way to disconnect from the day's frustrations - for Handlers, too! There's nothing better than coming home to play with or cuddle your pet after a long, hard day.

DISCIPLINE. Training can be a big aspect of pet play. When combined with a power exchange dynamic, learning discipline as a human animal can be rewarding - and a huge turn-on.

OWNERSHIP. Although you don't need to have a Handler to be a pet, some very much enjoy the feeling of being owned and taken care of by their Dominant partner. Similarly, Handlers tend to enjoy the feeling of dominance when they own a human pet trained exactly to their specifications. It is a point of pride and love.

CONNECTION. There are few connections more beautiful and genuine than the love between a biological pet and their owner - and that's a wonderful bond to recreate within pet play. It's honest, it's vulnerable, it's fun, and it's worth working for.

Madame Margherite and her Elite pets at our 2019 April Pride Mosh

We hope this gave you a glimmer of insight into pet play! As time goes on, we will continue to post educational resources about this wonderful kink - such it's history, negotiation practices, scene ideas, ways to deepen headspace, pack dynamics, and more.

Until next time. Awoooo!

January 2020 Creature Feature - Pup Star Orion!

The pet play lifestyle is full of so many voices that make it unique and vibrant. To showcase this, every month we will be shining the spotlight on a particular human animal or Handler in our community. Let's hear what makes every pet player special!

And we couldn't be more proud of our very first feature, a truly special pup whose dedication to service and community outreach is making serious waves in the pet play, leather, and queer circles...

Pup Star Orion!

Pup Star Orion (he/his/him) is a trans genderfluid service orient leather bull terrier pup - and the current LA Pup 2020!

Originally born in Santa Ana, El Salvador then raised in East Hollywood, Orion has made it his mission to cultivate education in the BDSM community that is racially informed and based on uplifting queer and disabled kinksters.

He is the Social Outreach Coordinator and a leadership board member of Obsidian LA, an education and kink group centering QTIPOC players, as well as an associate member of Onyx Southwest.

He is a boot loving, cigar ash swallowing, switch with passion for power exchange and public play.

How did you get into pet play?

I grew up very close to my family dogs. It's almost surprising that I spent so many years saying that I was not interested in pet play, but about four years ago, I dated a Dominant at the same time that my disability began to really affect my mobility. My Dominant at the time made a joke that if I was having trouble walking to the point of spending my days on all fours anyway, I might as well be a dog. Something about that just clicked. From there, pet play became my release for all of the stress that came with watching my health decline. It was the perfect way to navigate spaces with a barrier, in this case my former Handler, because people don't pet dogs without asking. This created a very simple way to express physical limitations without making of the conversation directly about disability when I wasn't at a level of comfort with that topic yet.

What are your favorite toys and treats?

My favorite treats are probably a combination of cinnamon Scooby snacks and beef jerky because I really love sweet and savory combinations. Besides that, I also really love firm seedless green grapes, those circus animal cookies with the sprinkles, cheese ritz cracker sandwiches, dried mango, peanut butter filled pretzels, and of course cock!

I also love really anything that someone makes for me themselves. I feel like as a puppy I can really taste the love cooked into whatever a Dominant is feeding me to reward either acts of service or just for being a cute pup.

What advice do you have for pet players who might feel marginalized in the broader pet play community?

I wanna first acknowledge that entering pet play publicly was very difficult for me as a queer trans person of color and as a disabled person. I want to validate that exclusion still happens, unfortunately. I feel a lot of us have a habit of saying anybody can be a pup, but we don't always extend a paw to those who don't easily find ways into public pet spaces.

I think part of being in a community means seeing those people who are excluded or less visible and try to find ways to include them. Ask them what they need from us as a broader community to be comfortable and feel uplifted and seen. With that acknowledged, I want to tell anybody who feels like they aren't seeing a spot for them at the table that they don't have to ever wait for that spot to open up. There is always space at any time to make their own damn table! 

That's what I did, and so many people that I work closely with did it before the greater community would even give us the time of day. You don't have to wait around for everyone else and when the broader community finally sees you, you get to then actively choose whether that is even what you want. There is no real way to do a pet play and that also means there isn't technically a need to find yourself in that mainstream pet space. I still don't feel like that is the position for me personally and I have no issue with that. I don't think it is something that I actually want. Part of me running for a title was to prove that I could take a title home to marginalized spaces as opposed to assimilating myself into broader spaces.

What advice do you have for pet players looking to deepen their headspace during scenes?

I would ultimately suggest that they take risks - to be mindful and safe as they take risks, but to take them! And to follow their animal instincts. For me, I found my deeper space when I let go of my insecurity around what I looked like and just flowed with where my wild heart wanted to go. For me that was water ! So I started taking a lot of baths, going to the beach, and to puppy pool parties where I could just splash and be sloppy because that's what my puppy heart wanted.

What do you love most about pet play?

There are a few things that I would consider my favorite aspects of pet play. Part of that would be finding other pets that belong to marginalized identities and creating community with them - I would name this my most rewarding endeavor. I also love how in touch with my body pet play allowed me to be, especially since I started at a time when I felt like I would never connect with my body again. I love the freedom and space to explore aspects of myself that I'm not sure I would've ever known to this degree, or at all, without pet play. I feel pet play also gave me a greater connection to my submission and my identity as a masochist. Lastly, I really love fucking up ball pits!

Follow Orion at @pup.star.orion on Instagram to keep up with his journey and community work!