"Pet" Tasha Maltby

Chain male goth Dani Graves and Tasha Maltby (Picture Ross Parry)

Tasha Maltby's boyfriend has her on a leash, literally.

LONDON (Reuters) -- A British bus company has apologized to a girl who is led around on a leash by her boyfriend and describes herself as a human pet after one of its drivers threw her off a bus.

Tasha Maltby, 19, told British newspapers she was the "pet" of her 25-year-old fiance Dani Graves.

Pictures showed her dressed in black Gothic-style clothing with silver buckles on a silver chain -- which the driver of a bus from the firm Arriva took exception to.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper Wednesday she was thrown off and told: "We don't let freaks and dogs like you on."

Arriva would not comment on specifics but said it apologized if the couple felt they had been discriminated against. It added, however, that the driver was worried about safety and the company told Maltby to take the leash off in the future.

...Maltby -- who lives on state benefits and got engaged in November -- said her choice of lifestyle might seem unusual but was harmless.

"I am a pet," she told the Daily Mail. "I generally act animal-like and I lead a really easy life. I don't cook or clean and I don't go anywhere without Dani. It might seem strange but it makes us both happy. It's my culture and my choice. It isn't hurting anyone."

Maltby "lives on state benefits."

Why am I not surprised?

Being "a pet" may be her "culture" and her "choice," but I don't see why the state is picking up the tab to allow her to go through life on a leash.

Maltby should get a job.

Doesn't the UK's National Health System provide for psychological services?

Maltby seems to be in dire need of that sort of assistance.

Miss Maltby said she came up with the idea to wear a dog lead, and said previous boyfriends had called her a "wierdo" when she suggested it.

The couple said they "loved each other to pieces" and the use of the lead was a "sign of trust".

Mr Graves said: "She's very animal like, she's kind of like a pet, as well as a partner."

He said he "does everything" for his girlfriend, including laying out clothes for her, feeding her and cleaning their house.

He said: "You wouldn't expect your cat or dog to do the washing up or cleaning round the house."

Maltby and Graves bring to mind Abu Ghraib and the leash girl, Lynndie England.

The world was horrified by the image of an American abusing and humiliating a prisoner.



Of course, the prisoner didn't consent to the treatment. That's a very important difference.

Maltby and Graves, on the other hand, are enjoying their relationship. They love each other. She likes being his pet.

The leash isn't abusive or humiliating. It's a "sign of trust."

Go figure.