Pittsburgh Man Denied Legally Changing His Name to ‘Boomer the Dog’

When you're a kid, it's kind of cute to dress up like a dog and run around barking and digging holes, but when you're a 48-year old man, it's just plain creepy. That being said, meet Gary Matthews, a 48-year old retired technology worker and a self-confessed "nerd" who thinks he is a dog.

Matthews is a prime example of what not having to ever work for a living can do to you. His parents left him their house and trust fund to live off of when they died, probably of embarrassment. He claims he has never been in legal trouble and currently not seeing a psychiatrist or taking any kind of medications for mental illness, but maybe he should be.

He claims his obsession with dogs started when he was only a kid after watching the movies "101 Dalmatians" and "The Shaggy Dog." Now kids are easily obsessed with things but they usually grow out of things. Matthews didn't, and now he wears a dog costume made out of shredded paper and was recently denied the right of legally changing his name to Boomer the Dog because the judge claimed it could cause confusion in an emergency.

He said that, "When I go out, I get the feeling and I wave to people as a dog. I go to local festivals because kids like the costume. That's my way of reaching out to people and spreading the word that I can be myself in life. They see that you can have fun in adulthood. But I am kind of a loner dog."

To me, this is just plain creepy and there are several videos on Youtube, just type in Boomer the Dog, of this man barking at cars, eating dog food and doing all things canine. Matthews told ABC News, who have a whole story on him you'll want to check out, that "I don't eat dog food every day. It's a special thing for me to do once in a while to get closer to feeling like a canine. I eat the canned kind. It's not bad -- it tastes OK. I eat regular human food, too, like pizza."

Does anybody else think this man should be closely evaluated by doctors before he bites someone?