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Ellen in doghouse with pet agency.
Ellen DeGeneres gives a pooch away to her hairdresser because it didn’t get along with her cats.
In doing so, DeGeneres violated an agreement with the Mutts and Moms dog rescue agency by not informing them of the handoff.
Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres performs her monologue to open the 79th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo
“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.”
“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.
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.
The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on September 20. She 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 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.
Source: The Associated Press.
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Maureen Adams
October 16th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
TELL THE ADOPTION AGENCY WHAT YOU THINK!
HERE’S THE EMAIL FOR MUTTS and MOMS dog adoption agency of Pasadena, CA
Email address was found on the “Donate†page. It is not hot linked on the “Contact†page. …Think they thought they’d get a lot of mail over the Ellen issue?
pawboutique@yahoo.com
October 17th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Somewhat surprised how Craig’slist pet forum responded. Typically a savvy, emotional, pro-adoption group, one would have expected the forum to attack the shelter for taking dogs away from a home, from children. On the contrary, when the dust settled, the sentiment was that Ellen should have made the call to the shelter that she could not keep the dog. Also, Ellen should not have taken this public on her show.
Here is what one forum member said about the shelter. “we adopted our dog, Apple from Mutts & Moms 2007-10-16 15:52:14 I feel bad for the kids, but I know first hand that this rescue isn’t made up of crazies and I feel bad that she is being made to look like a villain. I don’t think it was right for Ellen to take it to national tv - a little over dramatic. The rescue is run by one woman out of a corner pet shop that sells high end dog foods and boutique type toys and dog accessories.
We signed the same contract, read the same rules. Also, we couldn’t get Apple until after she was spayed, vetted and micro chipped. Apple was pulled from the shelter an intact (and during the spay they later found out, pregnant) mutt and given to us spayed. They pull mutts and pregnant dogs.
Marina isn’t a crazy pet hoarder - we live in a condo, no yard and work 8 hour days and she was still willing to adopt out to us when we had been turned down by a couple of other organizations for not having a yard or not being home 24/7.”
Bottomline here, this is probably a good thing for adoption and there will be a happy ending.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I have mixed feelings about it - I am on the one hand happy that the shelter is protective of the animals they re-house ensuring they are suitably placed and that they keep track of the animals by demanding change of owndership however I do find it harsh to take the animal away from a place that seems quite a nice new home for the pooch - I do not believe Ellen would just give it away to ‘anyone’ (don’t go thinking I know her personally but she is a public figure and they are careful about that kind of thing plus she is an animal lover)
The Shelter should have gone into the new home and checked if it was indeed a suitable placement place and if so they should have left the dog with them and just changed the paperwork.
Now a new home needs to be arranged yet again which cannot be healthy for a young dog although he will probably be in a new home by now after all the press it has been getting….
October 17th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
What the H3LL IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY????? Have we completely lost sight of what it means to be committed? I’ve been through the Dog Adoption process with two agencies in two separate states and these folks provide a loving and wonderful service to save feeling and intelligent (often, there are exceptions) beings from being put to DEATH.
GET SERIOUS!!! For the love of G#d, please!! I’m sick and tired of the trend in this country for anyone to just blow off the responsibility they take.
Sobbing apologies do not excuse STUPIDITY!
Ellen lives in a Mansion with ample room for a single small breed mix. The statement I read said that she gave up the dog when “the cats” of the house were stressed by the dog. Hello, knock knock stupid… You don’t just throw a dog into the mix and expect the cats in the house to welcome it with open arms. She also said that the “Iggy” was too high energy. OMG - IT’s a DOG for pete’s sake and a terrier mix at that!!! What the h3ll did she expect. As for spending the three grand on training and such; BFD!!
We spend over 4000 dollars trying to save our fist Black Lab “Chuck” after his kidneys failed. Go cry alone in the dark.
When we adopted our second Black Lab we kept out cat “Maybell” separated for over 3 weeks before we aloud them to see one another. Guess what??!#$#@ They are happy “co-habbitating” together. So shame on you Ellen for not even obviously trying!! Dogs are sentient beings NOT FRACKING TOYS that you drop off at a trainer and expect to behave like you want. You have to work “WITH” them to build the communications between human and k9.
2) Ellen signed a contract. 3) Ellen Signed a Contact. (Are you illiterate as well as stupid?) Moving a dog is extremely stressful and to simply give the animal up so quickly meant even more stress. The adoption agency has rules for a reason and if you can be mature enough to own up to your responsibilities and follow the rules by reading them and understanding what you are getting into. You have no right to be the companion to any animal; even a FRACKING GOLDFISH if you can’t even follow the basic rules! BE A GROWN UP, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE GET GO, and for the love of all that is still good in this world stop being so GD stupid.
If you have so much money and are so famous Ellen why not just drop the freaking dime (pick up the GD phone) and call Cesar Millan. Maybe he’d make and exception and do a consultation. (Since he is booked from now until the end of time.) Or better yet why didn’t you just call The International Association of Canine Professionals and have a personal trainer work with you and not the dog. Humans the ones who more often than not need the training NOT THE DOG.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
It is time to take a good look at all the pet rescues. I have been a volunteer for a few. There are some very reputable rescues and more that are not. They pull in the volunteers and fosters that really care for the dogs and cats. Then you find out that they are really a for profit rescue. They use some one else’s 501c3 until they get caught, then use some one else’s. They usually use one from a reputable rescue. Some of them never give a copy of the contract to the NEW OWNER. That way they have no proof of what is in the contract. In many states a dog or cat is considered private property. And their contract will not hold up in court. But they still use it as a bluff that most people fall for. When it comes to the micro chips that are put in the dogs by the shelter or rescue. Some of the rescues do not send in the registration with the new owners as the owner, but as the secondary contact. And some do not send it in at all and it remains registered to the shelter, rescue or vet that purchased the micro chips. Then if a dog ends up in a shelter the rescue is contacted not the owner. Some rescues then never contact the owner, but adopt out the dog again, or have a different rescue do it for them out of the area. The application process is an area that is good for the most part. It is to make sure that a dog or cat is going to a good home and good match for the dog and that it will not end up back in a shelter. But some of the rescues are breed rescues that are more interested in if you deserve there breed. Many of the rescues will only take cash. That never seems to get put on there books. Some do home checks and some do not. I think that a home check is a must for a reputable rescue. If the rescue that you get your pet from dose not do a home check, then it is no better then a pet store, and most likely just in it for the money. When it comes to vet bills, some rescues will milk donations for many times the amount needed and for long after a dog or cat has been adopted. I have spent thousands of hours and dollars fostering and volunteering. I have seen it all and more. You tell your self that they are saving these dogs and cats, but you are really hurting the reputable rescues. Some times you have to go through a few rescues before you find one that is reputable and doing it only to save the dogs and cats. There are many good rescues out there, but there are just as many or more that are not. I think it is time that they were all looked at very closely.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:08 am
“Ellen DeGeneres gives a pooch away to her hairdresser because it didn’t get along with her cats.” What’s Ellen thinking?? Does she think the dog is a ‘toy’ for her cats and can be ‘thrown’ away just like that? Why not she get rid of her cats and keep the dog instead?
Chris “Dogfather” Taylor
http://www.happydogsecrets.com
October 18th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I would like to know why Mutts and Moms did not go by their own policy and do a home check on Ellen. Also on the application it asks about other pets. Why would they adopt out this pup to a home with cats? A reputable rescue would already know if the dog got along with cats and if not, would never have adopted the dog out to a home with cats. Their application, adoption procedures, contract and there responsibility to the dog all seem to have gone out the window when they could say they adopted a dog to Ellen.
It looks like Mutts and Moms will now fell what it is like on the other side of what goes around comes around. The sad part of this besides what she did to the little girl and her family is that Mutts and Moms have heart all reputable rescue. Hopefully future adopters will look close at the contracts and weather or not the rescue is a real non profit (with there own 501c3) before they adopt. Just because they say there a non profit, dose not mean they are.
If you are looking to adopt a pet make sure you are looking at a reputable rescue. They are out there.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Dog Lover; I’d like to acknoledge you on some very valid points. Until now I have only dealt with good rescues. Like so many organizations out there standards of care and placement sound lacking. The core issue comes down to trust that is built on a common set of rules that everyone plays by.
Maybe it is time to reform the adoption world. I’ve heard of too many dogs being placed in homes only to be neglected and/or abused. I still advocate that we should be the more intelligent half of the equation and take responsibility for the life that we bring into our homes.
I’d like also spin the view for a second, not that I am defending the behavior of less than above board adoption/rescues, but I have seen in every rescue a enourmouse pressure to place dogs quickly because the demand is huge and the pressure enourmous.
So isn’t the core problem again back on the humans that neglect, abuse, or can’t care for the dogs in the first place? For me it always comes back to responsibility.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Oh for God’s sake!! The dog needed a home and since Ellen couldn’t keep him, she found him another good home. This is sooooo way out of control!! GIVE IGGY BACK TO THE GIRL’S THAT FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM!! What else could a little dog ask for??