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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Helen I am so sorry to hear about this. People are so busy that they don’t read the fine print. What I don’t understand is that this agency didn’t offer to go to your hairdressers house and see if the enviroment was good for the dog.
I and many others do animal rehab and we don’t judge, at least we try not to judge people that we sometimes have to rely on. We do try to find the best places for the animals.
I feel your pain because we have to release and it is so hard at times. I hope this agency thinks about what they have done.
Comment by Audrey Webster — October 16, 2007 @ 5:57 pm
Honestly, if all members of society thought and conducted themselves with as much wisdom, common sense and fair mindedness as the author, the world would be a dramatically different place.
Also, I absolutely ADORE Ellen. Love her. Always have, always will.
This agency responded this way because Ellen is famous and people act especially ridiculous when dealing with situations where fame and power are involved.
Fame is so overrated.
Comment by D — October 16, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
That would be the understatement of the day.
Comment by k — October 16, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
I’m sorry, but rules are rules, and having been involved in rescue for MANY years, we’ve dealt with people giving dogs to others and even throwing them in shelters instead of calling the rescue and returning the dog. She signed a contract, she was required by the contract to give the dog back to the rescue. If she felt the family was a good candidate for a home for the dog, she should have told the rescue and had the family fill out an application.
I like Ellen, but she has to follow the rules like ALL of us do, and now to make this a public forum where she can give HER version on tv to millions of viewers, and not allow the rescue to give their side of the story? I think that’s not fair at all.
Comment by Nova — October 16, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
I don’t think she’s upset about the rules. Ellen is an animal advocate and she knows why the rules are in place. And she admitted she screwed up and apologized.
I think she’s more upset about the way it was handled and the trauma caused to the dog and the family. Had the agency let them fill out an application and evaluated them, none of this would have happened.
And nothing is stopping the animal rescue from giving their side of the story, least of all Ellen. I think she’d be thrilled if the other family would be allowed to fill out the app and be evaluated so they can get their dog back.
The dog was happy, the family was happy, why screw it up?
Comment by k — October 16, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Sounds like the Mutts and Moms person overreacted in a way that unnecessarily hurt people who were not at fault in this situation (the hairdresser and her kids) when there is nothing to suggest that there was any danger to the dog. Even if M&M felt that it had to enforce its contract, it could have gone about retrieving the animal in a different way. Animal rescuers do great work, but this doesn’t do anything for their work or cause, but makes them look like nutjobs who don’t care about kids. Great going. NOT!
Comment by pc — October 16, 2007 @ 10:56 pm
Those who have commented have not read the articles published. The resuce agency has a policy saying that NO small dogs are to be adopted by familes with children under 14! FOURTEEN? I know that agencies sometimes have these rules in place and it is usually for families with children under 6. Please don’t tell me that you believe that 11 and 12 year old girls are a danger to a small dog.
My two girls were born into a home where our “first” child was an 8 pound mixed dog. Never once was either the dog or the children in danger from each other. This is just another case of people being rigid and using rules to run their lives instead of common sense.
Comment by LJC — October 16, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
[...] dog. When Ellen told them what had happened, the owner allegedly went ballistic and threatened legal action and media coverage: “I mean, she started threatening…she said if I don’t get the dog back by 2:00, Iâ€m calling [...]
Pingback by GlossLip » Ellen’s Dog Will Not Be Reunited With Family — October 16, 2007 @ 11:38 pm
I stumbled upon this site and had to make a comment. I don’t blog. I was just looking online for the Ellen clip, as I caught only the tail end of it on the news, and thats how I ended up here. Reading this makes me sick. Its great the everyone is trying to take the high road here and not say nasty things about “Mutts and Moms”, but Im sorry I think they should change the name to Mutts and Bitches and leave it up to the individual to figure out who is who …
As I sit here, a struggling actress in LA, out the 500 bucks it cost me to patch up my little 12 year old pug, and thats just today’s expense, I am beyond disgusted with the behavior of this “rescue” agency. Are you kidding me?
And to the lady above with her “Ellen has to follow the rules like every one else”: oh for God’s sake, get a life. Seriously, with all the problems in the world, we should worry about friggen Ellen giving the dog to her HAIRDRESSER’S two kids, where it clearly would have had a wonderful life? So what that she didnt follow the rules. Big deal, get the stick out of your ass. The rules were a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit red tape. I see why they were in place, and if they needed to be employed for the safety or welfare of an animal, it makes sense to be able to legally protect the animal through a contract.
However, that’s not what happened here. If anything “Mutts and Moms” has been detrimental to the welfare of this dog.
People in LA are so strange sometimes, and this miserable jealous bitch who clearly has some bizarre issue with Ellen or maybe famous people in general, has acted in a disgusting and selfish manner. It makes me sick, and you can be sure, that her next move will be to sue Ellen, and that’s probably why she hasn’t given the dog back. She’s a gross pig; plain and simple. Why mince words?
This is why would be generous people live in fear of trying to do something nice, because disgusting jealous and greedy people take advantage. Ultimately the next really wealthy and powerful person who could make a difference in a needy dog’s life is going to recall this incident and think twice. That’s the real tragedy in all of this. That woman has done a huge disservice to animals by behaving this way, and she should be ashamed of herself. She’s a crazy, lowlife bitch, and as a real animal lover, I am not afraid to say it, nor should anyone else be.
And Mutts and Mom’s Lady, if you’re reading this. Im sorry that your life is so small, that you had to make a huge scandal out of what was, Im sure, only intended to be a simple act of kindness. Don’t be so heartless; you wretched scum bag witch. Give the fucking dog back, and rot in hell. You’re a pig (and not in a good way)
Comment by luxe — October 17, 2007 @ 3:01 am
Luxe, I tend to agree with your reaction and assessment. Sometimes it just gets to be regoshdamndiculous the way people act.
Good luck with your pup and career. With your common sense you should find success. There’s not much of that out in Lala land.
Comment by D — October 17, 2007 @ 7:45 am
[...] are none too happy at all the attention this has received, even though they were the ones who initially threatened Ellen with going to the media: “People are being so cruel to us. People are sending [...]
Pingback by GlossLip » Mutts and Moms: Ellen Ruined Our Reputation — October 17, 2007 @ 10:23 am
“Batkis stated that she would not return Iggy because of the way she has been treated by DeGeneres.” Hmmm, how she has been treated??? Batkis admits she followed up with Ellen and found the dog had been placed elsewhere. Did she communicate to Ellen at that time that this was in violation of the agreement? Did she allow Ellen the opportunity to right the error ? Baktis also said, “If Ellen wants to start her own rescue group then she can decide where the dogs go. Who is she to say who is a good home and whose not? And who is she to say where I should place my animals and how I should do this?” HELLLOOOOO? What credentials do you have that allow you to play GOD!
Comment by Sandy — October 18, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
Wow….a lot of nasty language here…especially you luxe. I don’t believe all of the facts are here. It sounds kind of one-sided. The attorney for the dog adoption agency was on Bill O’Reilly and he stated that the the hairdresser (who received the dog from Ellen) was asked to come down and fill out an application to adopt the dog but she refused.
We are a nation of laws, and even though this may sound petty and stupid to many, to use the television media as a bully pulpit to get out you want, just because you are rich and famous is just plain wrong.
Ellen and the adoption agency should have settled this in private, instead of making this non-news item blow so far out of proportion. Had any of this happened to you or me, how much news coverage would we get. Just my two cents.
Comment by Tom Davison — October 20, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
#13: If you watch the videos, you will see that the family DID fill out an application. What they didn’t want to do was load up both dogs and drive two hours to where MaM wanted them to go. I can’t say as I blame them since the purpose was to observe the dogs in the HOME environment.
At MaM’s request they DID fill out an application. They then DID open their home to an inspection. That is how MaM got inside the home to take the dog in the first place.
Of course the attorney for MaM would say otherwise. That’s what he’s supposed to do…make it look like this woman is being picked on. Even the police are saying that they (the police) made a mistake.
Comment by k — October 20, 2007 @ 6:11 pm