The Army is investigating at least two officers who wore fetish “pup” masks while in uniform.
The photos show male soldiers in partial or full uniforms wearing dog masks, leather and chains, and one shows a soldier on an airfield in combat fatigues and a dog mask. Other photos show submissive poses and sexual acts.
“U.S. Army Pacific is aware of content found on social media reflecting soldiers’ activities while wearing uniforms,” U.S. Army spokesman Major Jonathan Lewis said in a statement to USA Today. “The incident is currently under investigation.”
“Military law prohibits conduct by an officer that disgraces them personally or brings dishonor to the military profession. There are a range of potential punishments for violations, including letters of reprimand.” USA Today reported.
According to a former chief Air Force prosecutor who spoke with USA Today, the soldiers could have violated either military law’s Article 134, which governs fraternization, or Article 133, which bans “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.”
If the officer is retired, like in Col. Connelly’s case, the Army could bring him back to active duty to have him court-martialed.
Officers risk being retired at a lower rank which also lowers their pension payments.
While the Army hasn’t confirmed who is being investigated, Twitter users connected a recently-retired Army colonel and a junior officer to a series of dog-mask fetish pictures posted online by anonymous apparent military members.
By comparing tattoos, uniforms and other information, the account @NoVA_Campaigns connected Col. Brian Donnelly and Cpt. Dayton Tenney to the masked photos. The pair’s social media activity suggests the officers were romantically involved in an “alpha pup” and “beta pup” relationship.
The identity of @PupRavage is Col. Brian Connelly (ret) of INDOPACOM.
Connelly is heavily involved in the “pup kink” community in Hawaii and had a relationship with a subordinate who also engages in “pup kink.”
Connelly wore his pup mask in military spaces.
In one photo posted to an account linked to Connelly, a man appears to be showing his penis while masked in a military locker room. The caption reads, “I’m a pup,” and mentions “rearing other pups.”
Connelly was in a sexual relationship with CPT Dayton Tenney, a fellow Army pup in Hawaii.
Connelly’s “pup lover” Dayton Tenney also wore a pup mask while in uniform.
“All U.S. Army soldiers are expected to uphold high standards of personal conduct and to avoid discrediting the service and the uniform, both in person and across social media,” Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, said in a statement.
