A store manager who 'never felt like a human' has embraced his true self and now lives as a 'human pup' - even eating his meals from a dog bowl.

Kaz James, 37, admitted he felt 'weird' and unable to relate to others, before allowing his pup persona to shine through in his late teens.

The store manager, from Salford, Greater Manchester, now regularly unleashes his personality by barking at friends, carrying items with his teeth and snacking on Bonio dog biscuits.

Outside of work, he wears customised rubber outfits, masks, dog leads, harnesses and even a bespoke £2,000 fur suit.

Kaz James, 37, from Salford, Greater Manchester, pictured in one of his rubber suits holding his lead, has embraced his true self and now lives as a 'human pup' in all aspects of his life

The store manager, pictured in his £2,000 bespoke fur suit, barks at friends, carries items with his teeth and snacks on Bonio dog treats

Kaz, author of 'How to train a human pup', moved to Greater Manchester from Norfolk in 2005, and embodies the mantra 'be dog' in all aspects of his life.

'My whole lifestyle is about being a pup,' he said.

'I go about and live my day-to-day life relatively normally. That includes things like putting collars on and at barking at people I know in the street.

'If I see pups out in the village, I will bark at them. I get funny reactions from passers-by all the time.'

But Kaz also said he gets great reactions when out in his pup gear, and though he appreciates the positive comments, he dresses that way to express his inner animal.

Kaz said: 'It's very much a form of self expression, what I choose to wear depends on what I'm doing.

Kaz, pictured in his fur suit, started living as a human pup in his late teens after he met like-minded friends online

Kaz, pictured, has two bespoke £400 rubber suits, dog leads and a £2,000 custom-made fur suit which was shipped over from Canada

The human pup, pictured relaxing at home, said he barks at other pups when he sees them on the street and often gets positive comments from members of the public

'If I'm going to work, I'm picking things that are fairly mild like a t-shirt that says "pup" on the front. It's an extension of myself and dressing how I feel.

'It makes me feel really great when people say I look really good, and it's great that people get a kick out of it, but it's not specifically done for other people.'

After a long day's work or going out socialising Kaz loves nothing more than relaxing at home and eating meals out of his dog bowl.

Kaz said: 'I feel a sense of peace being a human pup. Little things make me happy like eating my dinner out of a bowl using a knife and fork.

'I don't eat at people's tables when I go to friends' houses. I can be a normal person in a restaurant. I'm trained and can deal with humans, but I don't like it, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

'I don't eat dog food, I eat regular food like a normal person. But I do eat Bonios, they're quite nice.

Kaz, pictured, eats dog biscuits and has his meals from a dog bowl. However he said he does a knife and fork and can sit at a table in a restaurant as he is 'trained and can deal with humans'

Kaz, pictured watching TV in his living room while wearing the fur suit, lived in a house share when he was 18 and it was then that he unleashed his playful pup side at home

Kaz, pictured eating some dog treats, explained that some are 'human friendly' and taste like a 'vanilla-flavoured digestive biscuit'

'There are loads of dog treats you can get that are human friendly, which are actually quite good for you.

'I get ones that are a cereal and sugar glucose mix, a really basic dog biscuit, which taste like a vanilla-flavoured digestive biscuit.'

Hanging in his wardrobe alongside his two bespoke £400 rubber suits and dog leads Kaz also owns a £2,000 custom-made fur suit shipped over from Canada.

Kaz said: 'It does get hot in there, it's like walking around wearing a carpet. It's great for winter, if you're going to wear it in summer - invest in air conditioning.

'Those who make the custom rubber suits and fur suits are artists - you're paying for a piece of custom artwork.

'Having an entire fur or rubber suit of your character is a really great experience. It gives me the chance to be the best version of myself when I go out.'

Kaz said he never felt right as a human and it was only when he found like-minded friends in the thriving online pup play community he started being himself.

He said: 'I didn't ever feel like a human, I always felt like a dog that was really out of place.

All of Kaz's custom outfits, pictured one of his rubber suits, are bespoke and made by artists

Kaz, pictured in his suit, said it can get very hot inside the outfit and it is like 'wearing a carpet'

'I never really had a name for it, being a pup wasn't a thing I knew about. When I met other people like me I felt I could be myself.

'I was known by my friends for hello to them by grabbing hold of the collar of their shirt in my teeth and biting or licking them, very canine-type behaviours. It was always how I was.

'The first time I heard the term of being a pup was through a pup I met online. I then met other pups and learned a whole new language of this other world.

'It was a liberating moment knowing there were other people like me, having felt properly weird for the longest time.'

It was only when the internet was installed at home when Kaz was 17 that he discovered other like-minded pup pals online.

Single Kaz said: 'I realised that my behaviours were quite dog-like in childhood, probably from the age of six. No-one ever talked about it, it was never mentioned.

'My parents took early retirement and we moved to a farm in Norfolk.

Kaz, pictured outside as a human pup, said his behaviours were quite dog-like in childhood but it was never mentioned

When he was younger Kaz, pictured relaxing at home in his fur suit, was known by his friends for grabbing hold of their collar of their shirt in his teeth when saying hello and licking them

'It wasn't until the internet arrived in our house that I started chatting to people online - mostly through groups and message boards.

'I was living with my parents and I would sneak downstairs at three in the morning to get on the internet to look for this stuff.

'I would hold a pillow over the 56k modem so you couldn't hear the modem noise.

'I was worried that If I ever spoke to anyone about it, they would be like "you're a nut job".

When he moved into a house-share with friends at the age of 18, Kaz unleashed his playful pup side at home.

Kaz, co-founder of Kennel Klub, said: 'During that time, as I was finding out I was a pup, I met my first owner and he ended up living in that house with us.

'It was quite a learning curve for my friends who had gone to school with me and seen me be relatively normal and then learn all these interesting things about me.'

Kaz said although people from outside the community can mistake human pup as a fetish, the movement focuses largely on reconnecting with childhood fun and even romance.

Kaz, pictured in his fur suit with biscuits, encouraged anyone interested in becoming a human pup just give it a try

Kaz, pictured in his rubber suit with a lead at home, said the human pup scene is not a fetish but about reconnecting with childhood fun and can even be romantic

Kaz said: 'For me being a human pup is an all-encompassing thing. A lot of pups gets into the play side of it very easily, but for me it's my whole life.

'Some parts of pup play can be really romantic, for example being collared is very romantic, it's easy to fall madly in love with someone who does all these fun things with you.'

Kaz said the human pup scene exploded following the Channel 4 documentary Secret Life of the Human Pups.

Kaz said: 'We thought it was big before but after the documentary came out it just became insanely big and became a whole new other monster.

'The best advice I could give to anyone interested in becoming a human pup just give it a try.

'Hanging out online is fine but the best and most fun way you can do that is meet other people who are into it and chat to them about their experiences at Kennel Klub.

'We do get people who just show up because they're interested in it, have a few drinks with everyone and chat about stuff.

'By the end of the night they'll be on the floor with tennis balls in their mouths.'