Any given night
This dossier describes what happens on a modopup night: private social gatherings for adults, with house rules that apply to everyone, a guest list and a contact person. Below is the long answer, with numbers, examples of what goes on inside, and what happens if someone crosses a line or ignores a rule.
- Is it sexual?
- What happens at an event
- Pup play by the numbers
- Where the confusion comes from
- Gear, clothing and what they mean
- Headspace
- Consent and boundaries
- How the space is looked after
- Why some people also experience it as sexual
- What modopup is not
- If you have questions
Is it sexual?
No. modopup events are not sex events. Someone who comes to movie night, a BBQ or a mosh is there to play, talk and spend time with others who share the same interest. The interest is pup play: a form of role play between adults in which one person takes on the attitude of a pup for a while. That does not include any sexual activity at the event.
The question comes up because pup play comes, in part, from gay leather culture in the United States, and because online images of the topic often show bodies, leather and masks. It is easy to see those images and assume that what happens inside is a sex party. It is not. In Bogotá, modopup events are closed hangouts. They operate with clear rules, and sexual activity is off the table.
The name also triggers the question. Pup play. In Spanish it translates as juego de cachorro, and that does not tell much to someone who has never seen one. The first reaction is usually confusion, the second suspicion. This dossier is here to replace guesswork with concrete information.
If you manage a building or live near a venue, what you will see is people arriving and leaving in street clothes. Inside, behavior is that of any social gathering. Noise stays below that of a family gathering or a small dinner. There are no sex scenes, no designated areas for that, no sexual services.
What happens at an event
modopup runs four formats. Each one is a social setting. None is sexual.
Movie night. We watch a film together, with blankets and something to eat. Some people watch in pup mode, others as if in a living room with friends. It is the calmest format and usually the first experience for newcomers. People can sit on the floor, curl up under blankets or just watch the film. No scenes, no forced roles, no obligations.
BBQ. A barbecue like any other: food, conversation and space to get to know each other. People talk about whatever they are curious about, without pressure. Some stay in street clothes the whole time. Others put on a mask or a collar after eating. The point is to hang out, not to perform.
Mosh. This is the most pup format. There are mats on the floor and pups play with balls, wrestle and get petted. Whoever does not want to play can join as a handler, the person who watches the play. The mosh is physical, but not sexual. All contact needs a clear yes. A handler can stop the play at any moment if they see someone is uncomfortable.
Park. Outings to amusement parks such as Salitre Mágico. We are not partners or organizers of those places; we just go as friends. We ride the attractions, share snacks and spend the afternoon. It is the most public format, and therefore the most careful: everyone in street clothes, behaving like friends on a Saturday plan.
At every format, people arrive and leave in street clothes. In common areas, behavior is that of any social gathering. There are no sex scenes, no designated areas for that, no sexual services.
Pup play by the numbers
The largest community survey on pup play had 733 respondents. It is a self-selected sample, international and with heavy participation from the United States. Because of that, it does not describe Colombia and it is not a random sample. But it does show the variety of how people live this.
According to the answers in that survey:
- 49.03% experience pup play as equally social and sexual.
- 22.5% experience it as mostly or exclusively social.
- 4.42% experience it as exclusively sexual.
That means that, among the community that answered, almost one in two people feel the social and the sexual weigh the same, and more than one in five live it mainly as something social. Only a small minority reduce it to something purely sexual.
At modopup events the question is simpler: they are not sexual gatherings. They are social gatherings. The survey helps explain why the question exists, but it does not change what happens on a modopup night.
Another figure: 84% of respondents, 616 of 733, say pup play improves their mental health. It is a self-report, not a clinical measurement and not proof of an effect. We cannot say pup play cures anything, but many people say it does them good. Some describe the pup mental state, the headspace, as a moment when the head goes quiet and the body plays. Researchers compare it to a physically active form of mindfulness. Similar, not the same.
There is also a finding on neurodivergence: one in two people surveyed scored high on an autism screening questionnaire. In the general population it is roughly one in 44. It is a screening, not a diagnosis. But it shows that many people with different minds feel comfortable in this space.
Where the confusion comes from
The confusion has three sources.
The first is historical. Pup play was born in the gay leather scene in the United States after the Second World War. In that scene, sex and role play were sometimes close. Over time, pup play separated from its strictly sexual roots and became something with its own life. Today there are people for whom it still has a sexual dimension, and people for whom it does not. Both are valid, but they do not mix in the same space.
The second is visual. The most eye-catching images of pup play are the ones that show bodies, leather, masks and poses. Those images circulate on social media and in the press, and they create an impression that does not match what happens at most events. A mask is not a sex scene. A collar is not an invitation. They are part of a costume.
The third is linguistic. Pup play sounds strange in Spanish. There is no short word in Spanish that explains what it is. So people fill the gap with what they already know, and sometimes what they know are stereotypes about sexual practices.
This dossier does not deny the origin or the variety of pup play. It only clarifies what happens at modopup events: private social gatherings, not sex events.
Gear, clothing and what they mean
The most visible pup play gear includes masks, collars, kneepads and neoprene or leather suits. That gear can look sexual to someone who does not know the context. It is not sexual by definition.
For many people, the mask is a way to let go of the everyday identity. The collar can be a reminder that they are entering a role. Kneepads protect in the mosh. Gear is play clothing, not lingerie or sexual wear.
No gear is needed to take part. Many people start with nothing. Whoever has gear and wants to use it, uses it. Whoever does not, plays anyway. The door is open to whoever arrives in street clothes.
What there are, are rules about clothing in common areas. At the front desk, in elevators and in hallways, everyone is dressed as for any social gathering. Gear comes out only inside the reserved space.
Headspace
Headspace is the mental state of someone playing pup. It is a way of being present, of stopping the loop of worries, of moving the body without thinking so much. Some people describe it as a moment when the head goes quiet and the body takes over.
Researchers who study pup play compare it to a physically active form of mindfulness. Similar, not the same. It is not meditation, not therapy, not a cure. It is a state some people find relaxing and fun.
That state explains why pup play does not need to be sexual to feel good. Playing, moving, being petted, being with others: all of that can be pleasurable without being sex. It is one reason many people say pup play improves their mental health.
Consent and boundaries
All contact at an event needs a clear yes. Silence is not a yes. Whoever doubts, asks. If someone changes their mind mid-play, the play stops.
If someone crosses a line, this happens: they get a warning. If they insist, they leave the event and the guest list. Whoever ignores another person's consent leaves immediately and does not come back. Issues are reported during the event or afterward by WhatsApp. At the start, the contact person reminds everyone of these rules.
This applies to everyone: whoever organizes, whoever plays, whoever watches. No exceptions.
How the space is looked after
Before each event, the contact person gives the building management a list with the names of the guests, at least 48 hours in advance. That lets the management know who enters and who does not. The gathering is private, not public. It is not announced on the street, tickets are not sold, strangers are not invited.
Inside the event, a contact person is present all night, with name and phone number. That person reminds everyone of the rules at the start, watches that they are followed and responds if something goes off plan. If the venue has a quiet hours rule, it is respected. If there are common areas, they are used as in any social gathering.
Photos are restricted. No recognizable face is published without written consent. Whoever does not want to appear in any image, does not appear. If someone shows up in a photo by accident, they can ask for it to be deleted.
Why some people also experience it as sexual
Pup play can have a sexual dimension for some people. The survey itself says that almost half live it as something equally social and sexual. That is valid in each person's private life.
But that does not turn a modopup event into a sex event. The same happens with other practices: a person can experience dancing as sensual, and that does not turn a salsa class into a sex event. The intention of whoever organizes and the house rules define what happens in the space.
modopup keeps social play clearly separate from private play. What two adults do outside the event is their business. Inside the event, the rule is social and respectful.
What modopup is not
modopup is not a group, club, association, pack or organized family. It is a name for pup play events in Bogotá. There is no membership, no fees, no board, no headquarters.
It is not a public event. It is a private gathering with a guest list. The list reaches the management 48 hours before the event.
It is not an event for minors. Only adults over 18 enter.
It is not a show. Faces are not published without written consent. Voyeurs are not invited.
If you have questions
If you manage a building, if you are a neighbor, if you are a journalist or if you simply arrived here out of curiosity, you can write to us. We answer gladly. The contact person for each event has a name and phone number, and is available before, during and after.
Pup play is a game between adults. modopup events are private social gatherings. They are not sexual. That is the answer.