Ellen DeGeneres Tried To Be Generous, Ticked Off Pet Rescue Agency
When we hear stories about people like Michael Vick and DMX, neglecting and abusing their dogs, it should be refreshing to hear about a celebrity who truly loves their animals enough to make sure they have a good home, right?
Well, not in this case. Apparently, talk show hostess and animal lover Ellen DeGeneres has upset a pet rescue agency:
The comedian revealed that she, along with partner Portia de Rossi, had adopted a Brussels Griffon mix named Iggy from the Mutts and Moms Dog Rescue agency on Sept. 20. Unfortunately, after spending more than $3,000 to have the dog neutered and trained to co-habitate with the couple's cats, DeGeneres said, it was clear Iggy simply had too much energy for the household. After coming up with what the animal lover believed to be a win-win solution, she presented the pooch to her hairdresser, whose two daughters, ages 11 and 12, immediately bonded with Iggy.However, apparently Ellen had signed a contract that stated if she could not keep the dog, it would go back to the organization, a contract that Ellen admits she didn't read very closely. When the rescue agency called to check on Iggy they were none too pleased to hear that Ellen had given the dog to a new home, where it had already lived happily for two weeks:
As a result, a rep from the agency went to the hairdresser's home Sunday night, police in tow, and removed the dog, much to the devastation of the children. "I guess I signed a piece of paper that says if I can't keep Iggy, it goes back to the rescue organization—which is not someone's home, which is not a family," a teary DeGeneres said on the show. "Because I did it wrong, those people went and took that dog out of their home and took it away from those kids. "I feel totally responsible for it, and I'm so sorry. I'm begging them to give that dog back to that family. It's not their fault. It's my fault. I shouldn't have given the dog away," she pleaded. "Just please give the dog back to those little girls."Police? The police had to be involved? It's a dog and a family with children, not a drug overlord or gang leader. You can watch Ellen's emotional plea here. Apparently, according to Ellen, the woman she spoke with had a personal beef with her, and was screaming at both Ellen and Portia:
"I mean, she started threatening...she said if I don't get the dog back by 2:00, I"m calling the media on you, I'm calling my attorneys, I'm calling the police, and I was like, 'I didn't do anything wrong, you're gonna call the media and tell people that I'm, what, I placed the dog in a loving home?'"Mutts and Moms came over and said they were just going to do a house check, but when they got there the owner of the agency scooped up the dog and held him for two hours until the police arrived. Since his electronic monitoring still listed the agency as the owner, the police let her leave with Iggy. Now, I understand the position of rescue organizations. They want to make sure that their animals are going to good homes, that the home is matched to the animal, and that the animal won't end up abused, neglected, or turned out on the street. And yes, Ellen did sign a contract stating that she would keep the dog or return it if things did not work out, which she admits didn't read very closely. I know some will say that Ellen didn't follow the contract and so she deserves whatever happens. And I'm not saying they should completely bend the rules for her. However, she knew this woman, this was someone in her employ, it wasn't just some random stranger off the street. She hears about the dog every day and knows it is in a good home. Yes, Ellen should have contacted the agency, absolutely. But now that the agency knows they want to give Iggy a good home, why not just conduct the necessary paperwork and inpsection and give the dog back? It could have been handled so differently, with a good outcome for everyone. In this day and age when so many animals are abused and neglected, and when so many need a good, loving, forever home, it is a shame that they found it necessary to bring the police and forcibly take Iggy from a family who were prepared to take care of him. Mutts and Moms had no comment. UPDATE: Apparently the Mutts and Moms site has had to be taken offline due to some rather ugly emails and messages. I am not advocating anyone doing anything like that. It could have been handled better to start with, and GlossLip readers can rise above the petty crap that others seem to want to resort to. There are better ways to handle this than by hassling these people.
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