A video went viral on TikTok when a white bride and groom arrived at their wedding reception, leaving the comment box with different opinions as the groom in the clip was crawling on all fours, portraying like a dog. Tra Alexander and his wife, from Gallatin, Tennessee officially became a married couple. And at the reception ceremony, the groom was seen performing an irregular ritual to the sound of George Clinton’s Atomic Dog.
People called it out-rageous and xenophobe when the couple arrived. However, according to The Daily Dot Alexander later came out to explain that the song was an inside joke that he shared with his siblings and that the leash was a nod to the fact that his wife had 'finally got him' after dating for six years. In the viral video, which was viewed more than 482,000 times online, they arrive at their wedding reception. The bride was holding a strap wrapped around the groom's neck and he was sitting on the floor and acting like a canine.
The strange scene exhibited the groom sauntering on the floor, wiping himself against his bride and miming urinating on her as a male pooch would. Meanwhile, the bride wriggled everywhere him continually, something gently tugging the strap to lead him around the room. Family and friends gathered could be heard cheering the newlywed and were dancing exuberantly around them.
While everyone present at the event seemed to be enjoying it, viewers were surprised by this unusual video and referred to this as a xenophobe undertone to the relationship between the white woman and her black husband. One person wrote: “I'm so glad I don't know anyone that thinks this is okay.” Another one commented: “I can't believe all those sisters in there cheering him on.” One expressed: “I do not like this and I don't see the humor at all.” And many viewers were not impressed with the fact that kids were also watching it. “This would have been the PERFECT time to say “no children at the reception”, another one said.
However, talking about that video to the Daily Dot, Alexander described the dance as actually a homage to his dad, who loves the song Atomic Dog. “[My dad] made his dance for it [a] a long time ago. And ever since, it’s been passed down to my oldest sister and then me,” he explained. And the idea to put him on a lease was a joke, indicating the fact that finally, his wife had married him after dating for six years. Alexander further explained: “It was showing that she finally got me.” “There was nothing like “Oh, well that’s my chattel owner,” he added.
