Social pet play: welcome to the Wuffel zone

Pet play: welcome to the Wuffel zone

Wearing dog masks to their regulars’ night, on a lead to a party – why some people enjoy slipping into animal roles. By Stefan Nieland

Some members of Freie Wuffel e.V. stand at the bar in the Friedland sports clubhouse. The bar is decorated with colourful streamers and the mood is exuberant – Snacki and Spaiky’s birthday is being celebrated. Photo: Stefan Nieland

‘Just look after yourself, Stefan, they’re sadists,’ my grandma warns me when I show her the first pictures of my photo project about pet play. The day before, she had googled pet play and found out that the term comes from the BDSM scene. ‘It can be something completely different,’ explains Toffi, a social pet player and board member of Freie Wuffel e.V. in Hannover. ‘We just want to escape everyday life, switch off and shed society’s norms and constraints by slipping into a completely different role,’ says Toffi. He explains that this is not the role of another human character but that of an animal, which knows nothing of all the worries, fears, constraints, norms and rules.

I had met Toffi six months earlier in the underground station at Kröpcke. He was standing in a corner with two other ‘Wuffels’. One of the three pet players was on a lead. All wore their dog masks, known as hoods. I was nervous when I approached them to ask whether I could photograph them. To my surprise, I met a completely open-minded group who invited me straight away to get to know their association. At their regulars’ nights, birthday parties and a visit to the Christmas market, I was able to take a look behind the scenes.

Role-play is everywhere in our society. Whether jousting, medieval markets or cosplay shows, we have all come across it at some point. Pet play is often heavily sexualised, and some pet players feel misunderstood. They do not necessarily live out their fetish sexually. ‘Here I live by my personal ideal of being able to be many-sided. I think everyone in our group wants a space where they don’t have to hide,’ Toffi explains.

Close-up of Pup Kalei’s eye. He is wearing his black hood, with a yellow appliqué sewn on for the eyebrow and a red one over the cheek. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Studio close-up of Pup Kalei’s eye** under his hood.

Close-up of two hands formed into fists, one on top of the other. The upper hand wears a silver ring on the ring finger. This is a typical gesture among puppy players, who shape their hands into paws in their role as puppies. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Pup Kalei and Pup Toffi** shape their hands into paws – a typical gesture among puppy players.

Portrait of Micha, chairman of Freie Wuffel e.V. in Hannover. He stands in front of the window in his flat, wearing his club’s red T-shirt. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Micha,** chairman of Freie Wuffel e.V., in the club T-shirt.

The petplayers play beer pong at Spaiky’s birthday party. Sniper is in the middle of the picture. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **The petplayers** play beer pong at Spaiky’s birthday party.

Portrait of Pup Sniper, a petplayer from Freie Wuffel e.V. He poses holding a red balloon in front of his face and is only half visible behind it. On his wrists he wears red-and-black cuffs with snap hooks. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Pup Sniper** poses for a staged portrait. His hood is red too, as he identifies with that colour.

Detailaufnahme — **Pup Toffi** wears his puppy name as a tag on his collar. Staged studio portrait.

Portrait of Pup Hope. The background is almost black; Pup Hope is wearing his black-and-yellow hood. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Pup Hope** poses for a staged portrait at the Wuffel get-together in the Andersraum in Hannover, where the Freie Wuffel regularly meet other petplayers for evenings together.

Four of the social petplayers from Freie Wuffel e.V. in Hannover sit at a table with cards, beer and shots on it. Pup Snacki sits on the right, Pup Spaiky to his left; the petplayers are celebrating the pair’s birthday. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **The petplayers play cards together** at the birthday party of Spaiky (centre) and Snacki (right)

Here I live by my personal ideal of being able to be many-sided. I think everyone in our group wants a space where they don’t have to hide.

Toffi, social pet player

Two of the petplayers, Pup Aiko and Pup Toffi, play with a ball at the Wuffel get-together in the Andersraum in Hannover, wearing their hoods (both black and yellow). Pup Aiko lies on the floor clutching the ball while Pup Toffi tries to get at it. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Two of the petplayers, Pup Aiko and Pup Toffi,** play with a ball at the Wuffel get-together in the Andersraum.

On the left, Pup Toffi and Pup Snacki stand chatting over a beer; on the right, Pup Spaiky and his boyfriend hug. The petplayers are celebrating Snacki’s birthday on a dance floor, lit at an angle from behind by coloured light; the light in the scene is bluish, and colourful balloons lie on the floor. Photo: Stefan Nieland — **Pup Toffi and Snacki** chat at Snacki’s birthday party (left), while Spaiky and his boyfriend hug on the dance floor.

Hannover, 10.12.2022 — **Pup Snacky** leaves the restaurant ‘Hans im Glück’ with his friends after dinner.

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