Ellen DeGeneres Shocked To Hear That Iggy Has New, “Safe Home”
Well, it’s come to this. Iggy the dog has a new home, and it is not with Ellen’s hairdresser. People is reporting:
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.
However, contrary to stated terms, Entertainment Tonight is reporting that rules were not always followed by Mutts and Moms:
Sources tell ET that while the agency claims Ellen broke her contract by giving him away to a trusted co-worker, the Mutts & Moms owners themselves have not followed all the rules set by their company. They allegedly did not require Ellen or her partner Portia DeRossi to fill out an application, nor did they change the registered owner information as they said they would.
Additionally, it is said the contract in question does not contain an age clause, another reason given by Mutts & Moms for taking back the dog.
Our sources also tell us the family Ellen gave the dog to — her hairdresser, her husband and their two pre-teen daughters — did fill out an application online when the dog took up residence with them. It was at that time the agency said they would come out to inspect their property as part of the adoption process. Instead, they reclaimed the dog and calling the police. As Mutts & Moms were officially registered as the owners by the chip, authorities turned over custody to them.
Like I’ve said before, I understand why agencies like this have rules about giving the pet away. I know that entirely too often pets end up abused and abandoned, and end up back at the shelter or homeless. I, as an animal lover, never want to see that happen. I understand why they have to have rules about children in the home. But, also as I have said before, the easiest way to have remedied this without any hard feelings was to let the new family fill out an application and be approved. Simple, easy, and a happy ending for all concerned. But instead, Marina Baktis chose to take things in an entirely different route. You can see video of the event here.
In the first video, Ruby tells that Marina said they were just going to do a house inspection, and asked her family to fill out an online application, which Ruby described as “longer than my school’s application…it went into specific detail.” Ellen says that previous to giving Iggy to the family, she gave a $600 donation to Mutts and Moms, paid for obedience class, and paid for neutering for Iggy. After Marina arrived and swept through the house without so much as a glance at it, she was holding the dog and would not let it down as the argument escalated in the back yard. Ellen tells TMZ that “[Marina] keeps dogs in cages…so she’s going to go put it back in a cage…she is angry with me, how dare I not follow her rules?”
In the second video, the mom says that she filled out the online application and Marina said she was coming over to do a home inspection. If there was a hard and fast rule about “no children under fourteen”, why did Marina ask for the family to fill out an application? Also in the second video, Ellen said that Marina both emailed her and called her, threatening her, screaming at her, saying she would call the press, on Saturday afternoon. This was BEFORE Ellen’s publicist spoke with Marina. Far from being the poor, picked on pet rescuer, Marina fired the first volley.
In the last video, you hear someone (presumably Vanessa, the other owner) say that she (Marina) is “telling you she’s going to return the dog as soon as the ap-” when someone steps up and stops her.  Marina continually walks away and is holding the dog like someone is going to hurt it, like she’s the only one in the world who can protect this dog from the evil girl approaching. And don’t forget…she has held the dog for two hours now with no food, no water, and no potty break. You can clearly see on the video that the dog wants DOWN.
My personal opinion, and I do have one, is this: Marina appears to have a form of animal hoarding behavior, which is in itself a form of obsessive/compulsive behavior, disguised as animal rescuing. In both the video taken by Access Hollywood and in the videos taken by TMZ, she exhibits classic signs. In them, she repeatedly tells of how all she wants to do is save dogs, how she is the only one who can understand just who is competent to have a dog, she is the only one who truly loves these dogs, she is the only one who can take care of these dogs. She has the hugely long application to fill out to make sure that you are the perfect person to take care of this dog, she has all these rules and regulations to follow, and if you get something “wrong” (in her eyes) then forget it…how dare you! That is classic behavior. Here is a quote from the AH video:
“I [Marina] have a bunch of dogs that need to be fed and cared for, and we have some dogs that are injured, and we have no money, and today because of all this, because I got threats that the animals were going to be hurt, and I knew I’m gonna be running in and out and not have the time, I had to take dogs to my vet, so that my vet could care for them. Well, that costs money, when I could be caring for them here, but to keep them safe, and to keep them well-medicated so I don’t forget because some of the dogs need medication or they will die, you know, well they had to go to my vet today. Who’s gonna help me pay for that? No one. Do you see what I mean? So that’s why, now, it’s gone too far, I can’t, I can’t go back, I can’t, you know, and the rest of it I can’t comment on.”
In the background you can hear dogs barking. This is on a residential street. Honest questions: Are there city ordinances which dictate how many pets one can have at one’s home in a residential area? She said she has “a bunch of dogs”. How much is a bunch? Two, three, five, ten? Is she actively attempting to find them homes? Are they living in crates at her home? And just what sort of medication are we talking about here? Some animals do become diabetic, some do need insulin and/or other medications daily…but just what sort of meds and illness are we truly dealing with? Is she keeping animals alive who probably should be humanely put down? There does come a point when keeping an animal alive is just cruel and selfish, if it is too sick to have a good quality of life. Is this the case? And just what sort of qualifications are needed to be an “animal rescuer” anyway? Are these professionally trained people? I know there are reputable rescue organizations out there, so how do you know which is which?
To repeatedly reiterate just how maligned she is, to repeatedly point out just how she is all alone in this fight, to make a point of saying just how much she alone cares even though she doesn’t have the money, all the while holding Winky the one-eyed dog that she had to rush inside to get for her media-op….well, that’s manipulating people’s tender feelings towards pets. And yes…it is classic animal hoarding behavior. She truly believes that if it were not for her, Iggy would have suffered some fate worse than death, and she alone swooped down and saved him. For people like this, it is all about them, it is never about the animals.
The family attempted to follow the rules Marina herself laid down. They filled out an online application and opened their home for an inspection, as Marina herself asked them to do. Marina is the one who had a beef with Ellen and chose to manipulate this family into thinking they could keep Iggy, when she knew all along she was going to take the dog away, back to its cage. She knows that she could have handled things differently, but she didn’t, and now this is the result.
I think Marina knew all along that she was never going to return this dog to this family, but people who threatened violence against her did not help Ellen’s cause any at all. You didn’t change Marina’s mind, and all you did was make yourself look like a fool.
You know, I think Ellen would be the last person in the world who would endorse violence in her name. Stop and think for a moment….Ellen is a TELEVISION PERSONALITY. She is a real person, but she lives in your TV. She does good things for people, but 99.9% of her viewing audience will never meet her or know her on a personal basis. I personally think these actions say a lot about you, Overzealous Fan. Maybe you need to turn off the TV every once in a while.
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I’m so in love with your coverage and commentary on this issue. I agree with you completely about this woman being a hoarder. Also, how can she run a non-profit out of a store that is for profit? I guess it’s legal since she’s doing it, but it certainly seems weird.
The huge green cover on the fence makes me wonder what’s going on inside there too. I wish those cameras would have gotten an inside shot. I would bet there are animals who are living in horrific conditions just out of sight.
Oh, and about her being so poverty stricken . . . isn’t she wearing Chanel glasses? I mean, hey, I’m all for nice things, but if she went to all the trouble to go get poor Winky for his press conference then why not change into some frames from Wal Mart that have been taped together? I’m just saying. Play the pity card right if you’re gonna play it.
Comment by Isa — October 18, 2007 @ 3:09 am
Thank you very much! I sincerely appreciate it. I just hope it does some good.
You know, I noticed those glasses, but I wasn’t sure if they were Chanel or not. Being poverty-stricken myself, such hieroglyphics are foreign to me.
And you know, the house behind her looks pretty big, from what I could see of it in the corner. And she’s got a big backyard, much bigger than the people from whom she took the dog. If she’s got $2000 in the bank to give to the vet, then she’s got about $1998.50 more than I’ve got.
Winky. Snort. That dog looked like he wanted to be ANYWHERE but there.
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 3:14 am
After hearing that the family DID fill out the application and that the home visit was a ruse, I think the family should sue Marina and the rescue group. They have a good case for torts like fraud (especially not transferring the chip information to the new owner), another count of fraud by having no intention of doing an actual home inspection, tresspassing and theft.
I’m sure Marina would try to sue Ellen at that point– but I bet you any judge would look at the contract and the actions of Marina and find it invalid and unconsciousable.
I don’t get where they (Marina and her partner) get the idea that once the custody of the animal is transfered, that they still own the animal. It wasn’t a rental agreement, but an adoption agreement. If they thought they had been wronged, they could have filed a lawsuit against Ellen for breach of contract.
And the hair dresser’s family signed nothing- so they had no agreement with the rescue facility. The way Marina talks, you would have thought Ellen gave the family to some homeless guy living in a cardboard shack who was probably going to eat it.
Also, I maybe should listen to it again — but does Ellen say the name of the rescue agency on her program? I don’t think so which makes me think that Marina outed herself as the person and the rescue agency.
Comment by Chris — October 18, 2007 @ 3:24 am
I think she’s probably a hoarder too. I once tried to adopt a cat from a rescue group like this one. The person with the cat had over 30 cats in a two-bedroom apartment.
Someone should call the animal welfare people and see what is really going on. Does she have a bunch of dogs in cages behind her house?
Comment by Melody — October 18, 2007 @ 3:27 am
Melody is right, an investigation in the operation going on is a good idea. These people at MaM are CRAZY.
Great coverage K. I bet you were captain of your debate team!
Comment by D — October 18, 2007 @ 8:26 am
And yet Angelic Ellen has sicced her publicist on this woman, threatening to ruin her in the court of public opinion. It was Ellen who took this to national TV in the first place. The shelter was good enough to donate money to, good enough to adopt from, and now that her hairdresser is unhappy, Ellen’s going to see to it that someone who rescues dogs is run out of business? The dog is placed elsewhere. If that’s what Ellen truly wanted in the first place, she needs to stop showing her bullying, vindictive side. And if the hairdresser truly wants a dog, there are PLENTY of overly-full shelters all over California with animals desperate for love and care. If the family’s a good match, they’ll still get a dog.
Comment by Kate L — October 18, 2007 @ 8:37 am
I hope that NAZI bitch Marina gets colon cancer & dies a painful death ASAP.
Comment by ABH — October 18, 2007 @ 8:52 am
HA, D…no, but I was on the Speech team, and the Drama team, can you tell?
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 8:59 am
ABH, consider yourself warned. Only the authors of this site are allowed to wish colon cancer and death on anyone.
Next time we ban you.
Speech team and Drama eh? Ahhhh, it’s all making sense
Comment by D — October 18, 2007 @ 9:20 am
Positive changes on the horizon? This unfortunate situation could possibly help to bring about changes that need to be made regarding “some” of these unethical and unbalanced dog rescuers. My life was completely turned upside down for a period of time because of one of these wolves in sheeps clothing. A breeder/show person/rescuer, dumped a dog on me that he had become afraid of, to take care of while he was out of town for only a few days. Months later he continued with excuses as to why he couldn’t pick the dog up, and repeatedly tried to “give” me ownership of this supposed amazing show dog. Eventually as he planned over time I felt pitty for and became owner of this difficult dog. Later on my life would be shattered when this dog tore up the face of my family member. Before that tragic event he tried to woo me with well planned lies. Why couldn’t I imagine the thrill of footing the bill for his meals, motel rooms, and gas in my vehicle, traveling around the country with him and a dog he was trying finish a championship on, in exchange for his taking my dog into the show ring. I wanted no part of it, but because I had recently sold some assets for a couple of hundred thousand I was his prime target. Threats soon followed when I steadfastedly refused. The next thing I knew the police were at my door accusing me of dognapping my own dog. Finally that phase was settled when I proved I had my dog licenced in my county. To my amazement this sick individual continued harrassement for years.
From my experience I would bet that Iggy has not yet been placed with a family, but instead sits in a crate at one of Marina’s fellow co-horts.
Comment by Kate — October 18, 2007 @ 11:03 am
Kate L, Ellen didn’t sicced her publicist on poor innocent Marina. In fact, re-watch the clip of Ellen’s show– ELLEN DOESN’T MENTION THE SHELTER BY NAME AT ALL. Nor does she mention Marina’s name.
It was Marina who threatened Ellen with going to the Marina and Marina who probably went to the media afterward with her victim act.
Comment by Chris — October 18, 2007 @ 11:56 am
correction: threatened Ellen with going to the media.
Comment by Chris — October 18, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
The way Marina is holding the dog and turning her back to anyone who approaches her seems to me like the behavior of someone acting out of vindictiveness or the behavior of a hoarder.
In the 2 hours she was there she could easily have conducted an extensive home inspection and interview. Unless the dog was in danger, it should have been left there.
I would be interested in how many dogs she reclaims or has returned for reasons other than the safety of the dog.
When she was doing the interview with the one eyed dog, she mentions that she could not place that dog in a home with kids because if approached from the blind side it could bite and she would have to tell the next prospective home it was a biter. I immediately wondered how many dogs she takes back or has returned.
Unfortunately, there are unstable dog rescuers who cross the line. They hurt all reputable shelters and rescue organizations.
The biggest losers in all of this are the dogs who will not be adopted because of this nightmare.
Comment by doglvr — October 18, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
[...] k wrote a fantastic post today on “Ellen DeGeneres Shocked To Hear That Iggy Has New, “Safe Home—Here’s ONLY a quick extractIn both the video taken by Access Hollywood and in the videos taken by TMZ, she exhibits classic signs of animal hoarding. In them, she repeatedly tells of how all she wants to do is save dogs, how she is the only one who can understand … [...]
Pingback by www.latesthollywoodgossip.info » Ellen DeGeneres Shocked To Hear That Iggy Has New, “Safe Home†— October 18, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
While I was going through this ordeal one of the things the breeder/rescuer did to harass was to call the Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Investigation Office giving an ambiquous statment that I was leaving the dog in the fenced patio during hot weather and also confining the dog to a bathroom. Neither was true; it was the most papmered dog, but because of her nature it gave her an opportunity to dominate.
What is interesting though is that Animal Cruelty investigation officers acted on this and even secretly had volunteers watching me for an entire week. They noticed that the dog was never left on the patio, but was walked for a half hour both in the morning and again in the evening every day. Still they came to my door and asked to come in, which I obliged. She found the dog perched proudly on the living room sofa, but still the officer was clever enough to suddenly talk loudly and make fast motions toward the dog to see if she would flinch etc.. After that I was told how crazy some of these groups are. I hope that someone will ask local authorities to investigate Mutts and Mom’s because I was impressed at how thoroughly our area investigated.
Comment by Kate — October 18, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
#6: Actually, it was Marina who threatened Ellen with media coverage first, on Saturday afternoon. This story didn’t hit the media until when, Tuesday?
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 2:56 pm
It is known Ellen has done this before. Although Mutts and Moms did not know or they would not have let her have the dog. If she was not a celeb. the public would probubly taken the agencies side.
Comment by Scott — October 18, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
#17: And what is wrong with trying again? Maybe she thought the current animals in the house were more capable of handling a new addition now. Circumstances change.
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
My guess…and this is all it is, a guess…is that Iggy is in a crate somewhere.
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
I certainly hope that the ASPCA/local animal protection agency will investigate this “rescue”. It’s all too obvious that the proprietors are unbalanced, and this is quite likely just the tip of the iceberg.
I’ve had multiple dealings with rescue groups over the years, and unfortunately the majority of them range from well-meaning but incompetent to truly neurotic and unfit to care for animals. The fact is that most rescues rely on untrained foster caregivers, some of whom do a great job, but many who are not up to the challenge. Animals in foster care are often rendered neurotic by too much confinement and too little exercise and socialization, which reduces their odds of successful adoption even further.
In this particular case, it would appear to go much further. The M&M personnel have behaved histrionically and erratically, not to mention hypocritcally (berating Ellen for rule-breaking while simultaneously flouting their own rules). Looks like they need to trade the puppies for Prozac; too bad it’s the dogs who are ultimately paying the price.
Comment by Adrianne — October 18, 2007 @ 11:42 pm
Histrionically!!! That’s the word I’ve been looking for!
Comment by k — October 18, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
Ha ha, glad to oblige. Thanks for writing so objectively and thoroughly about this sordid affair; you’ve managed to make this into a serious news story with broader implications for all who are interested in animal welfare.
Comment by Adrianne — October 19, 2007 @ 12:10 am
Thank you again. Histrionics. It was on the tip of my tongue the whole time. Now I’m tempted to edit.
I just feel very strongly about this issue. I’m very upset about it. I certainly hope that somebody legally investigates this agency.
Comment by k — October 19, 2007 @ 12:21 am
[...] Glosslip has a great article on the whole Iggy/Ellen/Mutts & Moms controversy, including tidbits from an Entertainment Tonight article about Mutts and Moms not always following their own rules …Â [...]
Pingback by Mutts and Moms gives Ellen’s Dog to New Owner | — October 20, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
Pretty convenient, adopting for a fee and reclaiming the same merchandise and collecting another fee for the same dog. Wonder how many times she’s done that. She doesn’t even spring for the neutering. Great coverage, I think you hit the nail on the head with the horder comment. I hope Ellen takes her down in court.
Comment by Lilly — October 22, 2007 @ 10:24 am