By Pup Major (@formugs)

The Las Vegas Puppy Coalition, also known as the LVPC, is a local kink group created by Pup Muttley. They specifically focus on pet-play and are constantly building community in the Las Vegas Valley. I am a part of the LVPC and pet-play community. Some of you might know me as “Las Vegas Pup 2023” of Proud & Kinky. I am a writer, artist, musician, and activist here in Las Vegas, as well as the creator and curator of Therapy Zine. I got to sit down and talk with the queer scholar and leader affectionately known as Mutt to enlighten the readers on how the LVPC came to be and what we can look forward to when it comes to kink & pet-play socials/moshes in 2024.

Photo by Curtis Joe Walker

Q. What is your name & pronouns?

A. “That would be He and She for my pronouns, and my name is Muttley from the Las Vegas Pup Coalition.”
I’m really excited to get to interview you as a friend and fellow pup. The questions are gonna focus mainly on the LVPC, but I sprinkled in some fun ones, too.

Q. How did you first discover your love for the pet-play community?

A. “Well, I was into pet play, or I was into being a pet when I was young. And I think that definitely transferred into my interest in pup-play later on. Then, once I was able to start venturing into a community, I almost did it immediately. I was ready to be a pup and go grab my own hood.”

Q. Where did the idea for the LVPC come from?

A. “It came from the idea of making something out here in Vegas. Before the LVPC, it felt like there were not very many events. There was the leather community and their events around town, but there were not many pup-specific events. So I started to make my own group with our own events and went from there.”

I recall the beginning events; I remember joining at a not-so-great time in my life. Being with the pups and creating space for us has been a blessing. It’s so nice to see how far it has come and the consistent growth, thanks to you and our volunteers. Despite having such a busy personal life, you’ve been persistent in making the LVPC a priority.

Q. Can you tell the readers a little bit about pet-play and what it means to you to be a pup?

A. “I would say pet play is any sort of sexual or even non-sexual form of pretending to be in a pet dynamic. Or an animalistic state of mind with another person or with yourself. This can include things like the standard pet and master: Alpha and Beta, Handler and Puppy, etc. There are various dynamics like that within the community. There’s so many combinations of who you can be, and you can make it what you want.”

It’s one of my favorite things about the community. You can pretty much make your own rules and set your boundaries for what works for you. I love how accepting they are of all the different ways to be a pup/pet-play enthusiast.

Photo by Curtis Joe Walker

Q. How does someone choose their “Puppy/Pet-Play” name?

A. “Oh, I’ve heard all sorts of ways. I’ve heard somebody just heard a random word, and that was their favorite thing. I’ve heard that people have picked their favorite animal or a pet that they had in their childhood. Mine in particular actually came from the character Muttley from— from Dastardly and Muttley.”

My pup name actually came from the show iZombie on CW, funny enough. I just liked Major. It is cool having a title as a name. Then the Riot came from Spider-Man. I had a friend who’s alpha/partner chose theirs. It’s a fun, creative process to find an almost alter-ego and explore parts of yourself. Doing things you might not do regularly, like dancing alone, goofing off, or exploring a kink you might be apprehensive about as your human self.

Photo by Winston Julius Diep (@papasecchio)

Q. Does one have to have a handler or an alpha to participate in pet-play?

A. “Definitely not, because you could be a handler or alpha yourself. Or, for another reason, you could be somebody who doesn’t want to be in that dynamic at all. Some pups just band together, and nobody is the alpha. Some pups don’t want an alpha because they don’t like to be controlled. And some are the alpha themselves. And they don’t need any subs, they don’t need any betas, they don’t need anything to be that kind of person.”

Interestingly enough, the terms alpha & beta have been debunked by the man who coined them. At least in the way the role is achieved, according to the International Wolf Center.

Photo by Curtis Joe Walker

Q. What does the future of the LVPC look like to you?

A. “It looks like growth. It looks like more hands coming together to build onto what we already have, and to work towards more projects. We have a lot of personal projects, such as the camping trips we want to take pups on, that we pay for in full. We have the parties and get-togethers that we host. Next year, we plan to host our big New Year party. And pay that in full, have full catering and a bar. I’m hoping for that. But we will see when we get there.”

I love that. I’ve seen our community grow quite a bit since the LVPC started doing monthly events, and I’m looking forward to even more.

Q. How can people help out or be a part of the community?

A. “They can reach out to us wherever they can find us. We have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a Telegram chat. From there, they can let us know they want to volunteer or vend with us because we’re looking for vendors. We’re also looking for kink demos. Any way that you can show your talent. We probably need it, so don’t be shy about reaching out. Other ways to help are to come to the events themselves, talk in our chat, and give us their feedback.”

Q. What is something you’d like to explore in 2024 in regards to the LVPC?

A. “Since I’ve been in college almost the last three years. I would like to explore how much I can do with this community. Now that I’m not bogged down 40 hours a week. I want to see current events built upon and more events started. I want to be able to mingle amongst the people and go out with pups at regular events more often. And I want to see that within the LVPC, I want to see more people together.”

As an admin within the LVPC myself, I empathize. It’s rough hosting events, because we often don’t get to experience them like everyone else. So I’m optimistic that the LVPC will get more volunteers and pups to join at an administration level so you can join in on the fun as well.

Q. These next couple are a little more personal. What are you proud of?

A. “I’m extremely proud of the fact that I have built myself up. Since I was 18, I kind of went off and lived on my own. I didn’t have any parental assistance. I didn’t have any monetary assistance. I actually started from almost no money to where I am now. Whereas I’m an accountant. I have my own place with very little financial help. I have a roommate and a partner, but beyond that, I feel like that is financially stable enough.”

That is definitely something to be proud of. I think you’ve been working towards your career the whole time we’ve known each other. All while maintaining an ever-growing group of pups and kinksters, and I commend that.

Q. What is your kinkiest interest you are willing to share?

A. “My kinkiest interest is actually needle-play (Also called play-piercing or recreational acupuncture.) Not in terms of drug needles or anything like that. I like to compare it to how people used to put safety pins underneath their hands. Or under their palm. And I like to tell people, think of that but a little bit deeper, and it’s a very interesting form of pain.”

Photo by Winston Julius Diep (@papasecchio)

You’re getting good at that! It sounds really interesting and looks kind of pretty. *needle-play should always be done using new sterile hypodermic needles or acupuncture needles on cleaned skin with an antiseptic like alcohol or povidone-iodine by people who’ve been properly trained.*

Q. What’s the best advice you can offer a person who is debating getting into kink themselves?

A. “To start slow and move purposely, I think there are a lot— Not a lot actually… I think that there are a few bad characters in the community. And I feel there are people you should be a little bit careful of. Because of that, I think that you should take your time. Don’t do anything that you’re not comfortable with. Say no if you are not comfortable with something. And if someone isn’t listening or if you run into a situation where you are assaulted, you are intimidated, or you are threatened. Reach out to your local community and ask for help. I think that good leaders will take it upon themselves to assist with this as well.”

I like that; “slow and purposeful.” I think that’s very well put. Trust your gut, and move at your own pace. Besides that, have fun!

Q. What events do you have coming up that you’d like to promote?

A. “We have Puppy Play, which will change times and days starting in January 2024 every second Friday at Badlands Las Vegas. Our other two event times are changing as well. We are going to be starting a movie night and kink educational events. So follow our social media to keep up with when those are happening.”

Q. Thank you so much for talking about social media with me. Where can people find the LVPC?

A. “You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/lvpups, on Instagram at instagram.com/LVPups, and on Twitter at twitter.com/LasVegasPups. DM us on any of those; we will provide you with any information you need. As well as the link for our Telegram, where there are a lot more active conversations and events.”

This article was originally published in the fourth issue of PROUD & Kinky Magazine. You may read it in its original format here.

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