Man who spent $14K to transform himself into collie steps out for first-ever walk in public

The dog days are just beginning for this man. 

A Japanese native has transformed himself into a canine after forking out more than $14,000 for a custom-made collie costume. 

The private citizen, who goes only by Toco online, says the unusual garment has helped actualize his dream of “becoming an animal.”

Footage shared to Toco’s YouTube channel, where he boasts more than 32,000 subscribers, shows him clad in the costume as he frolics on a lawn, rolls on a floor, and plays fetch. 

Toco has even uploaded a video of himself venturing out in public as a dog for the very first time. 

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Bystanders appeared to be in awe of the man’s doggy debut as he paraded down a busy street in the viral clip, which has racked up 1.7 million views.

Toco completed the costume with a harness strapped around his furry abdomen but admitted he was “nervous” and “scared” of venturing out in public. 

“Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard,” he wrote in the clip, describing his life-dog dog dream as seemingly “unrealistic.”

“I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside.”

As an introduction to his unusual hobby, Toco answered a series of questions in a video posted last year, admitting he always “had a vague dream of becoming an animal” ever since he was a child.

“When I fulfilled that dream, this is how it turned out,” he wrote in the clip, adding that he chose to become a collie due to the negligible size difference between the breed and humans.

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Zeppet, the company that manufactured Toco’s collie costume, says it took 40 days to create the furry fashion item, which cost a cool $2 million Yen (USD $14,161). 

“Modeled after a collie dog, it reproduces the appearance of a real dog walking on four legs,” the company’s spokesperson told news.com.au.

Despite garnering online fame with his puppy pursuit, Toco conceals his unusual proclivities from most of his friends and family. 

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“I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird,’ he said in a separate interview with the Mirror. “My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.”

Meanwhile, the Japanese man said last year that most of his colleagues are also unaware that he dresses as a dog outside of work.

“I don’t want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with,” he told the Daily Mail.

“They think it’s weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can’t show my real face.”