A MAN who spent a small fortune transforming himself into a border collie faced a crushing setback as he was cruelly shunned by real-life canines.

Pooch-wannabe "Toco" gained fame after posting a clip of himself in his ultra-realistic dog costume as he walked the streets of Tokyo.

Despite forking out thousands to fulfil his dream of being an animal, he's facing difficulties mingling with other dogs in the park.

He told The Sun: "They seemed a little surprised and unfortunately, they did not treat me as an equal."

But Toco hasn't lost hope and is looking for other therians  – people that identify as a non-human species – to befriend.

Although he revealed to The Sun that he's "made no progress so far".

Toco ordered the dog outfit from a specialist movie and TV costume maker and began sharing his journey to become a canine on YouTube last year.

Since then, the dog-lover has racked up 56,000 followers online.

He said he chose the collie costume because he enjoyed raising the breed while as a human.

The collie's long hair helps to hide Toco's "human form" well and allows him to pass as a "realistic dog".

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He was thrilled with the furry fit and said "my dream of becoming an animal has come true".

But not everyone is supportive of the Japanese man's choice – with some telling him it was a waste of his cash.

"I have received comments that say I have wasted the money and that Toco is weird," Toco said.

He's unfazed by the backlash as he believes "it’s unavoidable that there will be negative comments".

Until recently Toco’s doggy identity has been kept a well guarded secret from even his closest friends.

But the mutt revealed that his nearest and dearest have now been introduced to Toco – and their reactions were far from expected.

“They were surprised, but gladly accepted it,” he said.

He said it would be "fun to travel" as Toco and explained he wants to make the most of puppy life as he doesn’t see being a hound as a long-term hobby. 

"I won't stay a dog forever – I only become a dog a few times a month," he said.

Toco regularly posts updates on his life as a canine – even investing in a full-sized dog cage to sleep in.

His most viewed video being watched more than seven million times.

The video is of the mutt waddling around a park and being petted by strangers whilst he is on his daily walk.

The dog's followers are invited to join him for many of his doggy milestones, such as his first time "eating dog food", first public walk and first time sleeping in a cage.

In one video, Toco can be seen struggling to get into his cage.

Once he does he settles down into his bed, the lights go out, and then bizarre barking can be heard.

In another video he waves at the camera, rolls around on the grass and performs tricks.

When the large collie goes on walks he has to take a trolley with him in case he gets tired – although Toco insists he is content.

 "Rather than being tough or physically uncomfortable, the feelings of excitement and fun I receive from this experience are stronger.” he said.

Toco takes his role very seriously and told the New York Post he doesn’t move freely when he becomes canine as “if you move too much, it will not look like a dog".

It seems Toco isn't alone in his bizarre fascination with dressing up as man's best friend.

In the US, more than a quarter of a million people now identify as "furries" -where people dress up as cartoonish animals sometimes with a sexual motive.

Writer and enthusiast Joe Strike, 67, from New York, penned a book lifting the lid on the quirky fetish in a book called Furry Nation.

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Strike, who dresses up as a suave Komodo dragon named Komos, estimates two-thirds of furries are men.

He also believes a large number of furries come from the IT and technology professions.

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