Hello, Homo!

How do I get into the pup community? I’ve never done it. I think it’s hot, but I’m intimidated. It feels like such a confident community. I don’t know how I’d fit in.

Eric – Denver

Hello Eric!

Thank you for your question. I think a lot of people are curious with pup culture and not sure how to respectfully ask questions or who to go to answer those questions. This is true with how popular pup events and pup visibility has become, especially here in Denver over the past couple of years! So, I went to my go-to pup Sam Savory and asked him to chime in! Sam, would you mind introducing yourself? 

Hi! My name is Sam Savory, or Sam, the Tattoo Puppy and I use he/him/his pronouns. I’m a pup in the Denver scene. I am an onlyfans content creator, social media content creator, I’m a music mixer, and I just like barking and having fun.

So, Sam, what are your thoughts?

What a great question, Eric! So, to answer that, I’d like to break it down first and foremost, that pup play falls within the kink community. By nature, the kink community being a fringe community, there’s just a lot of different subsets and people that operate within it. Overall, it’s very welcoming and lot of people who look differently and seek different aspects of kink can find community within the umbrella.

Within the community, pup play is a kink that’s based on love and affection. It’s a very affectionate-based community. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by how welcoming and how kind a lot of the pups are. Even when I’ve come into a new scene, I feel so comfortable and I’m met with so much affection. I’ve been to many pup event nights not knowing a single person, and I leave knowing so many. That’s one fabulous thing about us.

How does someone get into the pup community?

If you think you want to get into pup play, this is my advice; some of the pup gear can be expensive, so, start with getting a cheaper pup hood online. They’re usually $20-$25. You can wear it around the house, see if it’s something that you’re comfortable or find hot or enjoy, and when you are ready, take it out one night!

There’s so many pup nights to go check out. We have events at Trade, The Eagle, X Bar, and Charlies. So many of our venues do pup nights that people come out (to), love, and enjoy! So bring the hood out, see if you enjoy it, and if it’s something that really sticks with you.

Then you can invest in, say, a Mr. S Leather hood, which are going to run more like $100.

Right on! Since I’ve moved to Denver five years ago I have noticed in big increase in pup visibility. Years ago, I only knew of Trade of having pup nights. Trade is my favorite bar, and where I got introduced to pup culture. I definitely want to echo the inclusivity and friendliness of the community. It feels like a very approachable queer community.

Very much. I mean, if you think about your relationship with your dog, it is very, like, loving and playful usually, and I think this is an emulation of that.

How would to describe or define pup play to an outsider or newbie?

In a very basic terms, pup play falls in two camps or categories: social and sexual:

The social side is kind of buoyant, friendly, playful, and there might be packs that work similar to a ballroom community, a ballroom family, or a drag family where it’s different people from different places that share community values and really stick together.

And then there’s the sexual side which I’m personally more familiar with. Someone asked me, What is having sex with a pup like? I said, It’s just sex with less kissing and more barking. It’s not too different.

When and how did when, when, and how did you get involved in pup play?

Baby Steps Puppy Steps

When I was 18 years old, I had a sexual relationship with a dom that really enjoyed pup play. He was someone that introduced me into that world. It was something that was very special to the relationship that we had.

I didn’t bring it out outside of that and until literally last year when I started reinvesting in pup play again, wearing my hood, and going out. It was something special about going to an event and just putting the hood on and being in that headspace. It allows me to be present for that specific event and not worry about rent or stress, or whatever other problems in my life. It is very grounding to just enjoy that moment, which is kind of what I love about it.

Unleashing Your Inner Puppy

Sam, as you know and many of my readers know that I am a therapist. I specialize in Jungian Depth Therapy that focuses on the unconscious and finding different creative ways of accessing parts of ourselves that are cut off my social norms and cultural expectations. 

I’m more on the periphery of pup culture, and from the outside (Jungian perspective), pup play both social and sexual reminds me of persona and shadow work. Like, when a person puts on the mask they are able to take a break from their socialized self and can unleash parts of themselves that don’t have access to conscious life because of the roles we’re assigned.  

As you are talking it sounds like pup play is like an access point of getting into maybe some of those more tender or playful mind spaces, or even be able to approach intimacy or social elements more comfortably.

You could not have explained that better.

Cuuuute.

The concerns that I’ve gotten from people that maybe aren’t familiar with pup play or are just learning are concerns about anonymity and the hood. 

Like, “Well, you put on the hood, and you’re a completely different person.” To that point, my personal opinion is that if your relationship to pup play is a Jekyll and Hyde type, and you’re one person without it, one person with it … I think that can be a little dicey. 

But I think when people are engaging in it in a way that’s natural to themselves it’s like an embellishment of your natural qualities. Like its just making some of your inherent qualities bigger and, as you said, allowing access to some things that may be really difficult without the hood, yet with the hood are a little bit easier and a little more comfortable.

Exploring From Home

If someone is interested in pup play and not able to immerse themselves in community because they live in a small town or comfortable attending a large event, online community and play is very vibrant way for a young pup to dip their paw in the water, so to speak. Sam, you have a robust online presence and are an online resource in that way. 

Yeah, absolutely check me out here are my links:

Instgram
Only Fans
Just for Fans
Bluesky
Twitter/X

Sam is running is running a 25% off OnlyFans subscription for OFM reader for this weekend only.

Click the link for the offer, and enjoy.

In the world of content creation, the need for success is to find a niche that’s natural to you and that people enjoy. For example, people’s niches that are successful in content creation are, like, grungy, or public play, or, like, a locker room bro, or like, hyper masculine. It’s like taking qualities and putting them to a really extreme edge. My vibe is different.

I’m just, like, a very naturally intimate, playful, very lovey kind of boy. When I was first making content, I was struggling to find an area that I fit within. Then pup play came back into my life.

I started wearing the hood in my house a lot and just jerking off and seeing if this is something I enjoyed. Then I started wearing it to sex parties, and that was perfect. I was able to realize that it’s something that really aligns with me. Cut to now, and it is a way to have connections with people, both sexually and as friends in the pup world. It is really fabulously connective. 

MASKING

For someone who’s thinking that they may not fit in. I wonder if there’s a way for them to consider. What is it that they don’t think would fit in? Or if their confidence, fitting in, or enjoyment could be something that comes out in the masking process? 

One hundred percent. I think people are most attracted to individuals that are very self-aware, and they’re very comfortable in presenting themselves authentically.

Maybe it is something that you have seen before that pup play might be able to offer. Like, this is just who I am, and you can take it or leave it. I would say in the pup play world, most people just take it and love it.

You have a big pup event coming up: 

Virgin Voyages Pup Cruise

 I am hosting a puppy cruise with Virgin Voyages, September 7 to 12. We are departing from Miami with stops in Costa Maya, Mexico, and Binimi Bahamas. There are pup events the whole cruise including: puppy cocktail hours, puppy brunch socials, puppy mosh dance party.

We have a great lineup including myself, pup Sam, pup Harlow, pup Zander Woods, and pup Coco. So we have some big-name pups from across the United States coming to this event. If you want to check it out, check out the puppycruise.com. It’s got all the information there. And it’s going to be a lot of fun. If you buy a non “lock it in” cabin for the puppy cruise and receive a $50 cabin credit via this link

Also message me on Instagram. I’m very responsive. I’m very friendly. I love talking. I love saying hi!

It’s true, you are. And how about those Denver pups who won’t be able to make the cruise? 

Go check out any of the pup nights at Trade, X Bar, Charlie’s and The Eagle.  Check out any of these pup nights, and you’re gonna just meet a lot of very friendly dogs there. Yeah.

Absolutely. Any other closing thoughts Sam? 

If you see a pup out, ask before you pet them, and don’t ask what they look like without their mask on because it’s really annoying.

Consent, Consent, CONSENT! 

Thanks, Eric, for the question, and Sam for taking the time to share! 

PUP HOOD GIVEAWAY

For my OFM readers who are interested in trying out pup play or trying on a pup persona, I am giving aware one new all black pup hood.  To enter the drawing, click here or the image to my Instagram account and following the directions on the post.

One lucky pup will be selected on Friday 8/15/25.

Go follow Sam at the link throughout the interview above

Follow me on Instagram @holistic.homosexual for updates on my column, and stay tuned for the next HELLO HOMO! 

Have a question you would like answered? Submit your questions directly to me at hellohomo@ofm.media.

Disclaimer: Hello Homo is for informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. Hello, Homo (Jesse Proia) is not providing mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment to readers. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency, please contact 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

Images/photos courtesy of Pup Sam