Japanese man who transformed himself into dog meets an actual one in viral video

Earlier this year, a Japanese man spent £12,480 to look like a dog

A Japanese man who spent over £12,480 to look like a dog by custom tailoring a canine costume, met an actual one and the video of their awkward interaction has gone viral.

The video showed the dog letting out a bark on seeing the man who tried to approach it in a friendly manner. But the dog remained sceptical and continued to bark at him.

After several seconds, it walked away from the scene leaving him to his antics.

The man’s social media account shared the video and titled it “Dog’s reaction to seeing a realistic dog costume”.

Known only by his first name Toco, the man hired Zeppet – a company known for creating sculptures and models for movies and commercials – to build the costume last year.

It took 40 days to make, with the result shared on his YouTube channel @I_want_to_be_an_animal.

Mr Toco previously said he made the costume a collie, his favourite dog “because it looks real when I put it on. He said in an interview with Japanese outlet Mynavi earlier in August.

“My favourite is quadrupedal animals, especially cute ones. Among them, I thought that a big animal close to me would be good, considering that it would be a realistic model, so I decided to make it a dog.

“I met such a condition and made collie, my favourite breed of dog.”

His YouTube channel is filled with videos of him in the collie costume rolling on the floor and playing fetch.

Toco has kept his human identity secret.

Addressing misconceptions, Toco clarified that his desire to wear the costume does not mean he wishes to live as a dog. Instead, he explained that he wears it about once a week, primarily at home, expressing a desire to transform and embody something different from his usual self.