London, Oct 18: Terri Graham, a mother of two, couldn't breastfeed her children. But, she's now fulfilling her maternal desire in an unorthodox way—by breastfeeding her 9-year-old daughter's dog, a pug named Spider.
In an interview published in the Oct. 20 U.K. edition of Closer magazine, Graham, 44, said that she knows some people might consider her a “freak,” but insisted that her breastfeeding nourishes the dog, and makes her feel like a better mom.
“Having Spider suckle on my boob means I finally feel complete and a better mother,” Graham told Closer.
Graham, who is from California, claimed that the dog developed a taste for breast milk in 2010 after licking the nipple of a bottle she had pumped for her then-newborn son.
She says she has breastfed the dog for about 2 years.
A photo of the article about Graham was posted to a Reddit forum devoted to strange and outrageous news, where it quickly received more than 2,000 “upvotes” and rose to the site's front page.
Although the comments were riddled with jokes, one user pointed out that a British woman had reportedly breastfed her dog in 2010.
A psychologist interviewed for the magazine piece suggested that Graham seek therapy, but stranger incidents involving canines have occurred in the British Isles.