A Japanese man who dresses as an incredibly realistic COLLIE DOG says he is hurt by trolls making fun of his hobby.

The wholesome animal lover named Toco - who said he dreams of being a pooch - paid two million Yen (12,000 GBP) to have the suit custom-made in Japan.

Toco waited for 40 days before the special suits and makeup company Zeppet finished his dog costume and he finally realised his dream of becoming an animal.

Footage shows the quirky Toco wearing the dog suit while knocking on a glass window. He rolled on his side with paws up in the air like a real-life adorable Rough Collie breed of pooch.

Despite the wholesome and fun hobby, some cruel online bullies have made fun of Toco.

Tiffany Fong, who is living in the United States, wrote on July 29 on social media platform X: 'A Japanese man spent over $20K for this border collie costume. You cannot convince me this isn't some weird sex thing.

'Men will literally spend $20,000 to transform into a border collie instead of going to therapy.'

Responding to the mean accusations, Toco said: 'I'm just sad that people can think that. I love animals and enjoy play-acting like a collie. This is my hobby, so I will carry on. It makes me happy and other people happy, too.'

Speaking earlier this year, Toco said sometimes he would spend time inside a kennel with fake grass like a pet pooch.

Toco said: ‘I wanted to be an animal, so I became a Collie. I post photos and videos of unusual Collies.'

While he was happy with the unique dog suit, Toco earlier said he would use a pseudonym so his friends and relatives would not recognise him.

He said: ‘I haven't told anyone about my transformation into a dog. I am still afraid that my friends will find my hobby bizarre.'

Despite his fears of judgment, Toco continues to enjoy the expensive Collie suit and posts videos and photos of him wearing it while pretending to be an animal.