Sex factor! My female Yorkie thinks she’s a boy, says Cowell
SIMON Cowell loves his dogs so much he has even let them share a bath with him.
But the Britain’s Got Talent judge has become a little concerned lately for one of his pets after it seemed to develop an identity crisis.
His four-year-old female Yorkshire terrier Squiddly has started cocking her leg when answering the call of nature.
She has also become somewhat attracted to a female puppy owned by the star’s friend Sinitta.
Last night Cowell told the Mail: ‘Squiddly has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The vet thinks perhaps she has picked up behavioural habits from her brother, Diddly, meaning she now cocks her leg like a boy when she wees.
‘There isn’t really anything that can be done, and obviously I still love her, no matter what. Squiddly is a very happy little dog, albeit one who thinks she is a boy,’ he added.
Yesterday, Sinitta, 53, who had a hit record in 1986 with a song called So Macho, was quick to confirm the story.
She said: ‘I can vouch for this. Squiddly ignored my red toy poodle puppy Scarlet when they first met but started mounting her the second time.
‘Simon said it was a sign of affection.’ Gender dysphoria is a condition in which a person experiences distress due to the mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity.
It is not typically found in animals. However, there are said to be three main causes of gender identity: genetics, hormones and environment, and bitches’ hormones can be seriously disturbed after they have been spayed.
Cowell, 57, has had Squiddly and Diddly since 2013 and inherited another Yorkshire terrier, Freddie, from his late mother, Julie.
He has often championed dog acts on Britain’s Got Talent, the current series of which is averaging nearly 9million viewers.