Ellen Degeneres & Pet Adoption*Update post #16*

[critter crazy]

Beth Harris
Associated Press Writer
Oct. 16, 2007 12:00 AM
LOS ANGELES - 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.
The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on Sept. 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.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/celeb/a...neres1016.html

[lvpets2002]

Yes this is so so Sad.. I Posted a Thread in Dog General of this story.. Yes give the puppy back.. Yes I know you sign the contract.. But if you tell the truth they always waive the contract.. I am sure there is more to the story.. I still cryed with her & for the poor wittle puppy..

[lady_zana]

I understand the reason the rule....they want to be sure it's in a good home...who knows who someone might give it to? But if they've checked out this new place, Ellen's friend, and she's a responsible pet owner, why not let the dog live there? Ellen's right - the adoption agency isn't a home or a family.

(And I hope the $3,000 was mostly for the dog training....if she paid $3000 to get it neutred, she needs to look for a new vet! )

[Ginger's Mom]

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment.
Does anyone know if the adoption agency contacted the new "owners" and asked them to come in and fill out the proper paperwork? How did they know where the new owners lived, to go get the puppy? It it possible/probable, that there were attempts to get a home and background check that were ignored by the new "owners" until they learned how serious the adoption agency was when they showed up for the pup? Is it possible that they thought because they know Ellen Degeneres that they thought they didn't need to go through the same process other adopters need to go through? I don't know if that is the case or not. But it is possible that they are just as responsible for what happened as the adoption agency. They may have been able to avoid the whole "heartbroken" children fiasco by doing what needed to be done to keep the puppy.

Again, I don't know if any of that happened. I am just suggesting that there may be two sides to the story, and I seriously hope that this does not ruin the reputation of a rescue if it is truly doing good work for dogs.

[animal_rescue]

*sigh* This all makes me think of Charley. I don't know if you guys remember this but he was my neighbor's Collie mix that I loved like my own. He died because of stupid owners! If his first owner's would have just given him back to the HS then he wouldn't have died like he did.

Anyways why can't they just fill out the paperwork themselves and adopt him out as their own? What is so wrong with that?!

[KittyGurl]

This is so sad. They shouldn't of taken the dog back. The puppy would be so much happier in a home than in a shelter. Poor dog...

[tikeyas_mom]

H0oneslty.. I donot agree with Ellen giving the puppy away to her friends family without confulting the adoption agancy she got the puppy from.. when you sign a legal document saying that you will forever care for the puppy you have to abide by it. She shouldnt have adopted the puppy if she didnt want it.. Her friends could have just adopted a dog if they wanted one. I'm sure this puppy had been tossed from several homes in its life, ended up at the resuce society, and then just got adopted AGAIN by Ellen, and she even gave it away.. I just dont aggree.. I think that the rescue that the dog came from had EVERY right to take the dog back.

[IRescue452]

Those emails disturb me. They stress "we have nannies". WTH is that supposed to mean!?! Does that mean you won't be taking care of the dog that is supposed to be yours? You'll delegate that to your nannies. Gah, I'd never adopt to those snobs. Sorry, rant.