They say dogs are man’s best friend, but Molly Loyale has gone one step further – she actually married a dog!
Well…technically her husband Spencer, 28, is a human but likes to dress up like a dog.
The couple spend their down time as two alter-ego canines called Daring and Pepper. They wear bizarre costumes and even play-act as dogs in public with others who are a variety of other human-animals.
Speaking to Closer, Molly, 27, said she and her doggy companions found lockdown particularly difficult as they were unable to schedule puppy play dates in the park, instead having to make-do with indoor doggy-time.
Now Molly says that she’s fallen in love with a horse called Buck. Well… not a real horse, but a human-horse who she knew before she met her dog-husband Spencer at an event in 2017.
She revealed that she meets Buck for ‘X rated horse and hound fun’ and says that she feels withdrawal symptoms if she’s unable to engage in the strange cosplay:
“I love being a puppy so much that I get withdrawal symptoms when I can’t be Pepper – it’s so freeing, said Molly, who has a daughter, Lexi, 3, with her husband Spencer.
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“Spencer and I love not only going to events where we can be pups, but visiting green spaces locally, too. We sometimes get strange looks from passers-by, but a lot of people in the area know us and let us get on with it. We’re not harming anyone”.
But Molly is far from the only puppy-person out there. In fact, there’s a whole community for those who engage in ‘’pup-play’’, including online groups where ‘pups’ can meet ‘handlers’ and arrange ‘pet play’.
In its FAQ section, the online pup-community ‘’Pupspace’’ explains that a ‘puppy’ is a “human who enjoys taking on a role with a canine personality. For some, being a puppy is a headspace they enter for a limited period of time—for example, to unwind or just play—while for others it can be an identity they wear 24/7.’
“Some pups are single (or strays), while others may be partnered or be collared (belonging to a handler a trainer or a sir)”.
Although the website doesn’t explain how a relationship between a ‘puppy’ and a ‘horse’ might work, Molly insists her equine lover is not a problem for her husband: “Spencer isn’t threatened by Buck – he’s totally fine about my affair with a human horse,” she said.
“The two of them get along, but Buck and I usually go for weekends away. We’ll dress up as our animal alter-egos, go for walks, play around, and have sex”.
But being a fully-fledged ‘puppy’ comes at a price. There are websites and designers dedicated to producing ‘puppy wear’ including masks which go for around $200 each, harnesses for $129 and made-to-order latex bodysuits setting a pup back a further $600.
Money well-spent perhaps if a pup wants to compete in the numerous puppy pageants which take place around the world. At the International Puppy Contest in Missouri, puppies and handlers can compete for numerous ‘Best In Show’ titles.
You could say it’s all absolutely barking…