The Smoking Gun today released the contents of several emails concerning Iggy the dog, who now has a new home.

They start with Portia emailing Marina on September 11 and updating her on Iggy’s progress, saying that he is “incredible” and that it was “hard to let him go” (to the trainer for training).  Iggy spent some time with a trainer and was neutered.

Next, Marina writes back and ask about Iggy on October 12.  Portia emailed back the next day and said that they tried very hard to work with Iggy but that it just wasn’t working out, due to there being too many workmen in and out, different employees every day, and all the things associated with moving.  She said that since the hairdresser expressed such a desire for Iggy, that they went ahead and gave the dog to her about two weeks earlier.  She said she wanted to ask Marina about changing his information, and that they had reached this decision after a lot of thought.

(If the trainer had Iggy for about nine days, as has been reported, and Portia and Ellen gave Iggy to Cheryl about two weeks before October 12, that would mean that Iggy had lived at Ellen’s home for about ten days, give or take…time to discover if the dog would fit in with her other pets.)

Marina is very upset and says she is “deeply disturbed” by their actions.  She says Cheryl (the hairdresser) must fill out an adoption application and go through the procedures involved.  She says Cheryl can fill out the application online if she wants to; however, until it was accepted, Iggy must be returned.  She says that if Iggy is returned the next day (October 14), it “will not prejudice her application.”  Portia replies and says, “Your email is truly heartbreaking to many people,” and asks for the store’s address and phone number.

At this point, Cheryl emails Marina and gives her some information and says, “I met Iggy at Ellen [sic] house a few times when she realize that Wolf [Ellen's other dog] was Not bonding to Iggy…”  She also says she would be happy to answer any questions or fill out any applications and gives Marina her phone number.

(If you recall, it is at this point that Marina called Ellen and started screaming at her on the phone, and threatening to call the media if her instructions were not followed.)

Marina emails Cheryl and says that she has spoken to Ellen and Portia, and Iggy is to be returned to her that day (October 14).  She invites Cheryl to fill out an application and says if she does, they can proceed with the adoption “if all is well”.  (Remember, Marina had said if Iggy was returned October 14 that it would not prejudice her application.)  She also wants Cheryl to bring everyone to her store (on the videos, Ruby indicated they were a bit reluctant to do so, since the store was quite a long drive away, they would have to pack up everyone including both dogs, and it was then that the decision was made to have an in-home consultation).  Marina also states that “[Portia] violated the contract she signed and broke our trust.  We are more than willing to consider you as a home for Iggy but not without meeting you and not without our process being followed.”

You know the rest.  To make a long story short, the family filled out the application and set up a time for Marina to come see them later that day for an home inspection.  When Marina showed up, she not only didn’t look at either the application or the home, but instead went straight to the backyard, scooped up Iggy, and refused to put him down for two hours until the police checked the microchip and found it still registered to MaM (this a month after the adoption took place).  The police later said they might have made a mistake letting Marina take Iggy at this point, but they let her go, and she ran up the street with Iggy in her arms.

So Portia made a mistake in signing the contract without reading it closely.  Ellen and Portia made a mistake in that they didn’t exactly follow the agency’s procedures.  Marina made a mistake in trying to adhere too obsessively to her strict rules and regulations and in threatening to go to the media first.  Perhaps Cheryl’s family made a mistake in not going to the store and instead arranging an in-home consultation.  Marina made a mistake in swooping in and “rescuing” Iggy from what was surely a fate worse than death with a loving family ready to give a homeless dog a good home.  And the LAPD made a mistake in not investigating further while they were at the house.

Mistakes were made all around.  Should Ellen and Portia worked more with Iggy in trying to get him to adapt to his new home and to Wolf (her other dog…apparently the trouble was with him, not the cats as previously reported)?  Perhaps…but sometimes that just is not possible, for whatever reason.  They found what they believed was a win-win for everyone, and that was to give Iggy to a family who were willing to give him a good home.  It wasn’t until Marina got all uptight about her rules and regulations and procedures and polices that things got funky.  Remember, at this time MaM were also operating under a suspended license, which could make the contract void.

Should these agencies screen applicants?  Of course, it’s the responsible thing to do.  But this brings up the question…did she screen Ellen and Portia?  Could Marina have foreseen the problems they would have in adapting this dog to their home?  Why did she sometimes bend her “no kids under fourteen” rule?  Why didn’t she do a home check for Ellen and Portia?  Perhaps some of these problems could have been nipped in the bud had she done so.  Her behavior borders on obsession, in that she believes she is the only one capable of deciding who is perfect for an animal and only if her exacting rules are followed.

Throughout these emails, one theme is very clear…Marina is ticked that her policies were not followed, her rules were not adhered to, her trust was violated, her contract was not followed, her processes must be followed.  At no point does she ask if Iggy is happy, if he is safe, if he is getting along with his new people.  Marina took the focus from Iggy and made it personal…when it really had nothing to do with her.  She flat refused to even consider adopting him to Cheryl because of personal issues with Ellen.

She lied to the family…she got the family to fill out an application and they set up a time for an in-home consultation, only to rush in and grab Iggy like he was in mortal danger.  She refused to put him down for two hours, with no food, water, or potty break.  She told the family that Iggy would be returned to them once the application was reviewed, but when the person with her tried to explain this to them, she was stopped in mid-sentence (it is on the video).

I still hope someone investigates MaM.  The woman keeps dogs in cages, which is no better than the shelter from which she gets them or any mall pet store.  In the video from Access Hollywood, she comes out from her home, and you can hear many dogs barking, which makes me wonder how many animals one can legally have at one’s home.  And I am also wondering about the animals kept alive through medication and their quality of life.  I’d love to see some sort of reports on these things, to prove or disprove one way or another.

This could have all been avoided had Marina said, “I am not happy with what you did, but since it is done, let me meet with the new family and review their application, so we can work this out for the best interests of Iggy.”  Because it was never supposed to be about Marina, it was supposed to be about the dog.

Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said it best:

They may have been right on the letter of the law, but not in the spirit of the mission of Mutts & Moms. [...]

Mutts & Moms was too rigid, even though I am sure they are very fine and dedicated people. They were a slave to form and forgot the real-world circumstances. They lost their chance to have Ellen serve as an advocate for them and for animal adoption, instead turning a potentially positive event into a distressing experience for all involved, including Iggy.

And that’s the bottom line.

You can read my reports on this here.