Starting Oct. 5, Sean Le Vegan will begin living in the Manchester Dogs’ Home shelter in England. He’ll share his cage with another dog, and he will get one hour to use the bathroom and “freshen up.” He’ll have no bed, just one blanket, and will drink only water. He’s already been microchipped.
Sean Le Vegan is an adult human, 35 years old.
“I will be living just like any dog in the Manchester Dogs’ Home,” he wrote on Kennel 35.
Why is he going to do this? Well, Le Vegan wants to know exactly what it’s like for dogs who go into the shelter system, and he’s aiming to drum up loads of publicity to do so. He wants to raise money for the Manchester Dogs’ Home, where he volunteers. He’s been a volunteer at the kennel for a while, and he grew shocked at the time it takes for dogs there to be rehomed — 35 days, on average.
So Le Vegan will live like a dog for 35 days.
“People thought I was crazy when I came up with the idea. It’s going to be really tough,” he told the Mirror. “The toilet will obviously be an issue so I’ve cut caffeine, salt, and sugar out of my diet to sustain my water levels. I’ll eat nothing and only drink for the first few days.”
As for publicity, he’ll have everything viewable by webcam, and he’s begun lining up guests — celebrities, he hopes, along with dog trainers and groomers and the like — to come to the kennel and speak with him during his stay.
The Manchester and Cheshire Dogs’ Home was founded in 1893 by a group of Manchester businessmen who were concerned about the number of strays roaming the city, according to the Mirror. It has two sites: One in Manchester and one in Cheshire. An average of 15 dogs arrive each day, and the charity cares for more than 7,000 per year at the two sites.
“It is a fantastic charity and has been doing this work for more than 100 years,” said Le Vegan. “It is in need of cash to refurbish kennels and make it more secure from vandals and thieves. Every penny will go to them.”
To make his experience as authentic as possible, Le Vegan will be “rounded up” by the Dog Warden on Oct. 5, and he won’t eat for the first four days to mimic the stress dogs feel upon arriving there.
“This is the average time some dogs take to eat when in an alien environment,” he said.
We wish him luck, and we’ll check in with him in October. If you want to follow Le Vegan’s progress, visit the Kennel 35 Facebook page, Twitter page, and website.
Via the Mirror
