PW: Bienvenido a Pup-World, mi amigo! It's so exciting to have you join our Pup-World family. I am such a fan of your work. Your perspective and artistic vision are real, vibrant, and exciting! Tell us a little about yourself.

REN: I’m Ren. My name comes from one of my favorite characters from a famous saga that starts with “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”. Ren identifies as a Sith Wolf. In the human world, my name is Melvin. I am 35 years old and from Mexico City, where I’m a filmmaker.

PW: Did you grow up there?

REN: I’ve always known I wanted to be a filmmaker, so growing up in Mexico City gave me the chance to see a lot of movies. Not just the blockbusters, but the more artsy movies, the Italianista films, the noirs, etc. Mexico City is probably one of the country's most open-minded cities, so although it took me some time to come out, it was easier to find diverse groups where I could explore and fit in once I did.

PW: What attracted you to pup play?

REN: It was social media. More than a sexual thing, I think it was an aesthetic thing. I remember it being a video I saw of this pup named Pup Hoodie. It was simple, just him and his yellow hood in the shower, and he looked so playful and was just enjoying the moment. I was immediately drawn to the pup play world. I thought that after coming out of the closet, I would feel more like myself, but there was always something missing. I just couldn't fit anywhere, like I wasn’t part of a community. And just seeing a pup for the first time, I felt so connected, like I belonged in that world.

PW: Tell us about your first experience as a pup? How did it feel?

REN: It was at the beginning of the pandemic that I got to explore new things and reconnect with my true self. Because of work, life, and everything, I was not who I wanted to be. I've left behind a lot of things, like my passion for Tarot or holding a camera; I wasn’t myself. So at that time, I said, This is the perfect moment to try pup play by myself. I had this necessity to wear a hood, so I bought a yellow one because that one would arrive fast, and as soon as I put it on, I just felt so comfortable, like that was me. I finally felt in my own skin, well, almost, because I really wanted a red one, but it just felt natural. I felt empowered. I also think it was easy for me to wear a hood because a couple of years before this I started cosplaying, so now, instead of cosplaying my favorite character, I was cosplaying as my true self.

PW: I think a lot of pups and animal players can relate. How has your involvement in the pup play community evolved over time?

REN: It’s been quite a journey. I started by myself, following a couple of Pups on social media, trying to learn something from the internet, but there wasn’t much information, or everything tended to go to a more sexual aspect of pet play. I started dating Pup Axolo (he wasn't a pup at that time) around the same time Ren was born, and as soon as he saw me with a hood, he immediately wanted to try it too. So at the beginning, we both explored pup play by ourselves. Soon after, we looked for pup play communities that were just about pup play. My first approach was to get to know the leather community in México. But at first, I didn’t see a lot of puppies, and I didn’t like the approach that pup play had to be about a Sub and Dom relationship. I felt their idea of pup play was too rigid. After that, a new community was formed thanks to a Mr. Puppy from an annual leather community contest. Esparciendo El Aullido was born! I like the new approach they have for pup play; it is about taking care of your pup and just having some fun. I connect with that mentality. From that very moment, I felt part of a community. Then the counsel of that group asked me the question, “What can you give to the community (from your expertise)?” So naturally, being myself a filmmaker, I try to give something back from this place. So in a way, I became one of the official photographers of the community.

PW: How has your understanding of pup play deepened through your photography?

REN: I’m an introvert, and I had so many questions about the community. I didn’t know how to approach the pups, so my way to get close to them was by taking photographs of them. And it worked! They loved every time I photographed them. I get to know everyone, and they get to know me better. Over time, I got to know their stories and how they live in this pup world.

Also, being a filmmaker, I just hated how the only photos that the pups took were selfies, or they were photographed maybe in a sexual manner or something like that. I didn’t think the photos were reflecting their true selves. Most of the time, the photos just showed their hoods and their colors, but I believe there was so much more to tell about the pups. I wanted my photos to capture their stories—not the classic party pose, but something that could reflect more about them. I've always approached my photographs thinking: What's their story? Who are they?

PW: What do you feel are the biggest misconceptions about pup play that you hope to dispel through your art? Or is that not part of the “mission?”

REN: There are two main objectives with my work. The first one is about memory—to have a registry of the pups in the community and how they were in this place at this time. The second one is to dispel misconceptions about pup play. The main one is having sex with animals; it’s not! Some people have to be taught that this is not that and will never be that. Pup play is closer to role-playing than anything else. This is no different than cosplaying as a fictional character or being an elf in a D&D game. There is a kink part and a pleasure part of role-playing as a pup, but it’s not always that. Pup play is about identity and community, so I emphasize showing how the pup plays a part in the life of the human. The pup can live in our everyday activities, in things as mundane as going to the movies. Because it’s just our identity.

PW: How do you balance capturing the playful, innocent side of pup play with the more sensual aspects?

REN: I think the pup play per se is sensual. We must make the distinction between sensual and sexual. Sexual content you could find on X, and maybe sometimes IG photos lack more sensuality. The reality is that most of the pups don’t know how sensual they are, and it’s not because maybe they have a great body or go to parties wearing practically nothing, for me, it’s what they express about who they are. For me, the most beautiful thing about a pup is their eyes. The way the hoods frame their eyes, it’s just beautiful. But balancing these innocent, playful, and sensual aspects of every pup has more to do with getting to know each pup before every session. Getting to know each pup individually lets me know how to be more sensual, whether using their sports uniform, wearing a medieval costume, or just wearing everyday clothing. If during a session I put the pup doing what they like the most or I make sure that during the session they are being seen, that’s enough to make the pup feel sensual. And that’s like the equivalent of a photographer telling someone, “You have a beautiful smile.” It’s amazing how you can see a smile in the eyes of the pups.

PW: What advice would you give to someone considering pups as an artistic subject?

REN: Pup play is about identity; therefore, it’s about expression. It’s very difficult to find pups who wear the same colors in the same order, and even if they’re the same, you’ll find differences in the clothing and in their names. Each pup is unique, and that’s amazing. My beta, Thunder, for example, is an artist who draws thunder into his hood to express his own identity. Right now my photos reflect more “realistic” themes with pups, but I’m planning for November a photoshoot with noir themes because I haven’t seen that, and I think that would be so cool to see noir movie photography but with pups. So for any artist out there, if you came here to the Pup-World, there are endless things you could do with this. Start with you as a pup; see it as a white canvas. How can you, as a pup, express yourself artistically?

But I’d also say this. If you want to see pups or the community as artistic subjects, you have to be a pup. I just don’t like how the outside sees us, with a weird curiosity or as if we are an exotic thing. Whilst making my pup play documentary I approached different photographers and although they are very good, they give a different point of view that I didn't like. It was an outside view, I needed the eyes of pups inside the pup community. Art is so subjective, and we need to know where each point of view is coming from.

PW: How does being a pup color your perception of the world?

REN: I was in the closet for a very long time. I hid myself a lot. I wore a lot of masks to hide my true self. It’s funny that only when I wear a mask do I truly feel like myself. I never hid Ren from my human life; at first, I was a little afraid of what my family and friends thought. But mostly, they don’t care, and some of them think the hood is cool. So Ren has taught me that people will like you no matter what, and if anything, they will like you more when you are true to yourself. Also, I’ve found a community here; I don’t feel alone anymore. Yes, there’s some drama inside the community; there's a lot of good and bad feelings; we’re pups, not machines. But at the end of the day, we are there for each other.

PW: What’s the most rewarding thing about being part of this evololving community?

REN: Not feeling alone. But I also found somewhere I could reconnect with my passion for photography. It fulfills the necessity of giving something to a community. Give and receive, is the foundation of any community, but it’s something I’ve never experienced before.

PW: How has your being a pup influenced your personal growth? Your mental health?

REN: I've suffered a lot from depression and anxiety in the past (plus ADHS, which is very common in the community), and Ren has helped me a lot with these issues. Mainly because the human side can let go and Ren can take control for a little while. Ren is more fearless than my human self, so he can be more of a leader. Ren has shown me how to be an Alpha and how to be in control of his own projects. Fortunately, I’ve landed some great therapists and psychiatrists with whom I can talk freely and without judgment about Ren and this other part of my life. There’s been a lot of growth thanks to Ren.

The bad part of this is that sometimes I forget Melvin because Ren takes a lot of attention. We talk a lot about pup headspace at parties or moshes, but we forget that the alter pup sometimes doesn’t disappear when we’re back in the human world.

PW: What do you want people to remember about you after you are gone?

REN: I do hope I’ve had some type of influence in their lives. But through my photographs and movies, I hope I'm leaving some kind of legacy or testament to me and my community. In my documentary, for example, I’m not thinking if I'm making the perfect portrayal of the pup community, but it'll be how I saw the community through the eyes of Ren. Movies are testaments to things. And I would leave a record that Ren was there.

PW: What are your hopes for the future of the pup-play community?

REN: Unity, because there’s strength in numbers. Things like Pup-World are great to connect us and see who’s making what and who’s who. In Mexico, we’re getting all the pups connected. My partner, Axolo, is part of a group of pups who want to connect with communities across Latin America. So my hope for the near future is to find a way to connect with all the pups from the American continent.

Pup hoods are like superhero masks, empowering you to be better.
Right now, the world needs superheroes.