Customers at an Ikea store were left baffled after spotting a shopper walking two men dressed like dogs through the store café.
The walker was dressed in normal clothes but the other men sported leather dog masks with tails attached to their backs that appeared to be wagging.
The bizarre sight was witnessed in the Ikea at Straiton Retail Park, just outside Edinburgh, on Sunday afternoon.
One ‘dog’ was wearing a red costume with a matching mask and tail. His black hoodie had dog paws printed on it, suggesting the trio may be part of some kind of club.
The other ‘dog’ was clad in a black and white mask and tail along with mostly regular clothing.
They continued casually through the café in front of kids and families, some of whom failed to notice them.
Café patron Alan Watson, who was there with his wife, filmed the strange encounter. He told Edinburgh Live: “I was just having lunch at around 1pm in IKEA with my wife when I saw the two guys dressed like dogs walking past with their friend or dad.”
Adults who dress as dogs are often known as ‘furries’, and form part of a subculture interested in non-human characters conveying human characteristics, such as walking on two legs.
Many in the community take part in role play while dressed as a “furry”. That sometimes involves going out in public while wearing the costume.
Although many people view it as a sexual fetish, dressing up like animals for participants is said to be a ‘fun escape’ for a community of people who enjoy expressing themselves in this manner.
According to Channel 4’s Secret Life of the Human Pups, which examined the phenomenon, around 10,000 people follow the pet play craze in the UK.
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