In this week’s Chron column, I get up close and personal with human-animal fetishists and their local outings, such as a “foxhunt” at a Nor Cal ranch and a “dog and pony” show here in town. Snip from Whoa, Nelly!:
For some people, life is a veritable dog and pony show; for a select few others, it’s a literal dog and pony show. If you think I’m talking about well-to-do humanitarian types in Pac Heights who donate an hour (and maybe even a few grand) to the SPCA now and then, you may want to skip on over to the SF Gate’s Your Whole Pet section — because I’m talking about a whole different animal. I’m talking about grown men and women — consenting, articulate adults — who enjoy fetish role play as human animals, especially dogs and horses but even foxes. The Bay Area is such a, er, zoo that we’re a hotbed of active online groups and home to park outings for just that kind of fun. In fact, one could even take a human pony to a full-scale ranch in Northern California for a weekend of dressage training, if one felt so inclined.
The story began one afternoon at Cafe Flore, when I asked an old friend how his main (though not only) squeeze was doing. He told me she’d been seeing another lover — and that they’d gone on a “fox hunt.” Thinking this was some kind of polyamory code for a wild night at the Power Exchange (powerexchange.com), I asked how the hunting was. He said: “Oh, it was great. But there were so many dogs, they said it was tough to find the fox.” Then I thought: “Was this a real hunt? Like, actual hunting for animals is so not cool around the Bay Area.”
My friend went on to explain that the hunt took place at The Ranch, “an alternate lifestyle campground and outdoor play space.”
