DeGeneres in Doghouse with Animal Group

[Jessica18Toronto]

So sad


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Ellen DeGeneres is in the doghouse with a pet rescue agency after giving a pooch away to her hairdresser because it didn't get along with her cats.

Ellen DeGeneres (left) adopted a dog and then gave it to an acquaintance when it didn't get along with her cats.

The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on September 20. But when things didn't work out, DeGeneres gave the dog to her hairdresser.
In doing so, DeGeneres violated an agreement with the Mutts and Moms dog rescue agency by not informing them of the handoff.
When the agency called DeGeneres to ask about Iggy, she said she found another home for the dog. The agency sent a representative to the hairdresser's home Sunday and took the dog away.
DeGeneres went public about the situation Monday while taping an episode of her show to air Tuesday. She admitted she didn't read all the paperwork involving the adoption.
DeGeneres said she spent $3,000 having the dog neutered and trained to be with her cats. But the dog had too much energy and was too rambunctious, she told her television audience.
"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," she said in a show transcript provided to The Associated Press.
"I thought I did a good thing. I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn't keep it."
DeGeneres said her hairdresser's daughters, ages 11 and 12, had bonded with Iggy and were heartbroken when the dog was taken away.
"Because I did it wrong, those people went and took that dog out of their home, and took it away from those kids," a sobbing DeGeneres said on her show.
"I feel totally responsible for it and I'm so sorry. I'm begging them to give that dog back to that family," she said. "It's not their fault. It's my fault. I shouldn't have given the dog away. Just please give the dog back to those little girls."
Mutts and Moms, a volunteer nonprofit organization in Pasadena, does not have a listed phone number and didn't immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.


www.cnn.com

 

[masquerade]

both of my dogs are from shelters and they can be pretty excessive in their requirements, home visits and follow-ups. I know they want to protect the dogs, but they can go overboard

Ellen was doing what she thought was best. its ridiculous that she got reprimanded for this, even if she broke the contract

 

[misssakura]

:/ It had a home. All they needed to do was change the address. This is excessive bureaucracy and it sickens me that even animal groups are falling prey to it now.

 

[morgan38]

both of my dogs are from shelters and they can be pretty excessive in their requirements, home visits and follow-ups. I know they want to protect the dogs, but they can go overboard

Ellen was doing what she thought was best. its ridiculous that she got reprimanded for this, even if she broke the contract

Yea I agree. I know they want to protect the animals, and I completely respect that, but they can definitely go overboard. I adopted a cat and you would think I was adopting an entire village of children the way the shelter treated me.

I just think treating people like they're criminals when they want to adopt a pet might turn some people off from the adoption proces in general.

 

[Jessica18Toronto]

I think all they should have done was check out the new home, make sure it was acceptable, which i'm sure it was, and left it at that.

 

[Julius04]

I agree, she gave it away to people that eventually learned to love the dog. Alot of people just leave dogs in the street and what not but she actually gave it to people that she knew would care for the dog. Its really crazy for them to make such a huge deal about it.

 

[MyNameIs]

This is ridiculous. The whole thing is. Is there really nothing better for these people to do than to make a big deal about something like this?

 

[Zen]

How low can they go? Pretty low. I hope Mutts and Moms will give the dog back to that family for the dog's sake.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Why is there a thread. Oh my god.

 

[misssakura]

I guess it strikes a chord with a lot of people who have been to shelters..

 

[Priestess]

I love animals. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter. It is incredibly heartbreaking to see the terrible condition some of those animals are in. They abuse they have received is absolutely disgusting. It was always great to see an animal go home with a loving family.

While Ellen did break the contract, which was wrong, she also did the right thing. The dog wasn't getting on with her cats and was most likely creating a stressful environment for both the cats and the dog. So she gave the dog to a loving family. For the shelter to go and take the dog away from the family was rather cruel. The dog and the family would have already started to bond. The dog had already lost one family (Ellen), and they took him away from another.

Unless there was something wrong with the environment in his new house, there wasn't any reason to take him away. The new family and the dog shouldn't be the ones to get in trouble for Ellen breaking the contract.

 

[Jessica18Toronto]

Why is there a thread. Oh my god.

I'm going to take a guess here that you don't have any pets. The more attention this story gets, and the more that people react to it, the better chance that this gets resolved. Or at the very least, so that people know nit to get themselves in the same situation.

 

[libertyjaen]

the poor dog! i can't believe they took it away from a loving family.. isn't it normally the practice of shelters to put down dogs that cant find homes after too long a time as well? they could be sending him to a death sentence when there was a perfectly good place for him to be....

 

[LUXXX]

I agree with the animal group...I used to work with an adoption agency and it is not right to pass off a dog to someone else without consulting the agency. They have to check the people out first...we always said if you don't want the dog or there is a conflict of interest...bring it back to us! Even if you have another person lined up to take it...it's still the right thing to do...

 

[morgan38]

Why is there a thread. Oh my god.

Oh come on...is this really any sillier or trivial then any other thread in this particular forum? It is a celebrity/fashion gossip thread.

Besides its probably a story that dog owners who people who have gone through shelters can identify with.

 

[misssakura]

I agree with the animal group...I used to work with an adoption agency and it is not right to pass off a dog to someone else without consulting the agency. They have to check the people out first...we always said if you don't want the dog or there is a conflict of interest...bring it back to us! Even if you have another person lined up to take it...it's still the right thing to do...

I think it's different in America but in the UK/Europe/NZ once you pay the money for the animal it's yours, all they say is that they may pay a visit (although that's only for dogs really). The fact is, it's not really going to prevent cruelty. If people are going to do something nasty to the animal, they'll find a way. A lot of people will give the animal back to the shelter if they don't have anybody to look after it or if it isn't the right pet for them. However in this instance, Ellen found a family that WAS right for the pet.

As far as I'm concerned, the agency just wants to make another buttload of money from re-adopting the dog which seems pitiful to me.

The right thing to do is get a dog a home. A good home. In this case that's what happened. This agency was just being petty and all they've done is bring themselves badddddddd publicity. A lot of people are sick of the crap you have to go through to adopt a pet in the first place, this just makes it worse.

For example, I am at home all day 24/7, could take a dog for walks for hours on end, but I'm not allowed to have a dog because I don't have a large yard. However, I've seen a lot of people who are eligible candidates because they have a back yard and they just keep the dog chained up outside in it.

Mindless bureaucracy benefits nobody. Like when Bill Bryson tried to use his book as proof of ID, and they tried to tell him that he got the book specially printed to get onto an hour flight.

 

[brokenenglish]

Yea I agree. I know they want to protect the animals, and I completely respect that, but they can definitely go overboard. I adopted a cat and you would think I was adopting an entire village of children the way the shelter treated me.

I just think treating people like they're criminals when they want to adopt a pet might turn some people off from the adoption proces in general.

Count me in on those people.
I tried to adopt a dog once and got very discouraged with everything I had to go through.
It was insane and I understand they want the pet to have a good home but sometimes I think it's more to cover their own butts.

They don't want people to use pet stores but some people do just to avoid the hassle of home visits, applications, etc.

 

[liberty33r1b]

poor dog...

 

[LUXXX]

The Insider is reporting that the adoption agency already gave the dog a new home yesterday...so that ends that...their lawyer confirmed it. And now they are filing a lawsuit because they got death threats...Ellen just went over the line. She should've dealt with them privately not on her show...

 

[Label Basher]

Ellen has said sorry for not following the rules BUT have you guy read what the agency has said about the family that Ellen gave it to.

From People.com

As Ellen DeGeneres continues her efforts to have Iggy the dog handed over to her hairdresser's family, one of the business partners at Iggy's rescue agency has reportedly filed a police report claiming harassment.

On Tuesday night, Marina Baktis of Mutts and Moms filed the report with the Pasadena Police Department claiming she is being harassed over the ordeal, TMZ.com reports. This follows reports that the agency received death threats after DeGeneres broke down in tears on Tuesday's show.

DeGeneres, 49, continued her appeal on Wednesday's show. "It's become so insane," she said. "The dog just needs to go to the family."

She remained composed as she went on to say the fight should not be about anything but putting the dog in a loving home.

The Mutts and Moms rescue agency, however, is standing its ground – despite receiving death threats after DeGeneres broke down in tears on Tuesday's show, the Associated Press reports.

Vanessa Chekroun and Batkis, who run the agency, believe they are doing what's best for Iggy, says a spokesman for the pair.

"[Batkis] doesn't think this is the type of family that should have the dog," said Keith A. Fink, an attorney who does not represent the agency but is acting as a spokesman. "She is adamant that she is not going to be bullied around by the Ellen DeGenereses of the world ... They are using their power, position and wealth to try to get what it is they want."

But DeGeneres's publicist Kelly Bush says the TV host has the best intentions. "It's very upsetting to hear that someone is getting those kind of calls," Bush told the AP. "Ellen just wants the dog reunited with the family."

A Home for Iggy
The dogfight began after DeGeneres and her partner, Portia de Rossi, took home the Brussels Griffon mix on Sept. 20. Things didn't work out between Iggy and the couple's cats, so the TV host gave the dog to her hairdresser.

In doing so, DeGeneres violated an agreement with the Mutts and Moms dog rescue agency – by not informing them of the switch-off. When the agency contacted DeGeneres and learned another home was found for Iggy, Mutts and Moms then dispatched a rep and police to the hairdresser's home and removed the pet on Sunday.

The women running the Pasadena-based agency say the publicity from DeGeneres's show generated voicemails and e-mails threatening death and arson, along with hordes of media that interfered with their work at the Paws Boutique store, where they handle the volunteer agency, Fink told the AP.

He also insists that Iggy's are the only feelings that count in the skirmish: "It's for the protection of the dog."

Life Threatened
Speaking to Access Hollywood, Baktis expressed concerns for the safety of herself and her animals. "I haven't eaten, I'm sick and I've had heart palpitations," she said, sobbing. "My life is being threatened, this is horrible. I rescue dogs. I can't believe this."

Claiming that DeGeneres's fame is the sole reason for all this attention, Baktis added: "Celebrities, you know, they get preferential treatment. They have lots of money. They go into a restaurant they get a table. And so you know, this contract was breached. It was breached. So people need to understand when you enter a binding legal agreement that you can't just go, 'And here you go, I don't want you.' "

I think it's disgusting. What are they are trying to say by "doesn't think this is the type of family that should have the dog,". If this is race or lifestyle related then a big F U to the agency. How dare they say that.

This is Ellen's response - People.com

Ellen DeGeneres told Ryan Seacrest this morning that she was concerned over reports that Iggy, the dog at the center of her adoption controversy, had been given away to a new family – not her hairdresser's.

Seacrest got DeGeneres on the phone during his KIIS-FM radio program in L.A., and said to her, "I heard this morning that this dog, Iggy, is now with another family."

DeGeneres replied: "Yeah, that's what I just heard, too. The statement was, 'Finally, it's in a safe home.' Which is an unbelievable statement. I mean, the whole situation is surreal. I can't even begin to tell you the disbelief."

Citing the attorney for rescue agency Mutts & Moms, The Insider reported Wednesday that the dog has indeed been placed in a new home.

Seacrest asked DeGeneres, "Why did they place the dog somewhere else without figuring this out?" She replied: "I guess so that people would just leave them alone. I don't know."

DeGeneres reiterated to Seacrest that she had made a mistake in not following the rules in giving Iggy to her hairdresser's family. But she claimed once again that the rescue agency was punishing the dog and her friend's family for that mistake.

She also agreed with Seacrest when he suggested the agency had a personal vendetta against DeGeneres herself.

"I don't even understand the latest statement in the press, which is, 'I won't let the Ellen DeGenereses of the world get away with this,' " she said.

Following the Rules

DeGeneres went on to suggest that Mutts & Moms enforces its rules arbitrarily. One such rule, she said, is that it does not allow families with children under 14 to adopt – a rule she said the agency has not always followed in the past.

Also, she said, she was never asked to fill out an adoption application and never had a home evaluation – also supposed rules.

DeGeneres said she had little recourse at the time the dog was taken back because the agency was still listed as the owner on the dog's microchip.

Asked what she would like to happen next, DeGeneres said, "I want Iggy's health and safety, number one. I would like Iggy to come back to that family, because I gave Iggy to that family, and that family has now had their hearts broken, and I feel responsible."

Then she added: "But the bigger picture is, everyone [needs to be] aware of your rights, and that you have to make sure that the microchip has your name on it, someone can come at any time and take your dog away."

This whole thing is sad. Ellen is not the type of celeb that uses her "celebrity" in a bad way so the fact that the agency is carrying on like this is just pathetic. Of course I don't want them to have people sending them death threats but their attitudes are starting to show that they are bringing this on themselves.

It won't be the same to the kids but I bet Ellen will buy the kids a new dog cause that is the type of person she is.

On a side note which is quite shallow but if I was a rival dog adoption agency I would be on the phone to Ellen's people offering a new dog to the family.