Ellen and Iggy
 

Ellen DeGeneres is hoping the power of television and celebrity will give a little dog some special treatment. During today's show, DeGeneres breaks down and sobs as she tells the audience about her effort to find a good home for a dog she adopted.

Here's the story: last month, Ellen and her partner, Portia de Rossi, adopted a Brussels Griffon mix called Iggy. But Iggy didn't get along with the cats, so Ellen gave him to her hairdresser. It turns out, she violated the rescue/adoption agreement with Mutts and Moms, which promptly took Iggy away from the hairdresser. On today's show, Ellen pleads with the agency to return the dog to the hairdresser whose two daughters had become attached to Iggy.

It's pretty heart wrenching stuff- video after the jump.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/10/16/el...r-a-dog-video/


Please help these little girls and their family get back the dog they fell in love with.

http://www.petitiononline.com/FreeIggy/petition.html

You can also contact them directly to let them know your opinion on this matter(there website has currently been pulled):

Mutts and Moms
Paw Boutique
523 S Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.394.0946
Email: [email protected]
www.muttsandmoms.org

I took 2 minutes and signed the petition. This whole situation is stupid. These people should give the dog back already. Unbelievable.

I saw Ellen crying on the show Insider about this issue. I'm sure her pleading in public will get the dog back to the two little girls. It was very touching, it almost made me cry.

i am not usually a ellen fan, tho i don't hate her by any means~ the video of her crying was so sad, i couldn't wait to sign the petition thingy~ what idiots would take a loved dog away from children?~ a travesty i tell ya!!!~

I signed! Mutts & Moms should just check the home out officially and give Iggy back. It's silly!

i think that is so sad and that i signed the petition. i want them to give the dog back. i also emailed them.

I just read they're not giving it back. :(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071017/...e_degeneres_26

did it say why?

They don't adopt certain animals out to homes with kids under 14. The article tells more about it.

That is such BS :mad:

It is Deb! What a sad story! I think kids that age adore dogs, and would be a GREAT home and family for it! That's a shame this agency feels this way, and won't let a "good home" and good family take care of the dog! :mad:

I have heard of people advising you to not get a pet with children under 3 but 14?! :rolleyes: Please. I agree. It's total BS. :mad:

a pet rescuerer who does not support Ellen
 

as a pet rescuerer and pet foster parent, I have always loved that Ellen is a huge animal fan but in this instance, she is wrong.

Read this message from Petfinder, they explain better than I ever could why most animal rescue organization's contracts include the clause so that any rescued pets who can no longer stay with their forever family must be returned to the rescue agency.

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA711.html

^^^
that sure is an extreme instance (the one listed in the link) as compared to this situation with Ellen.

bottom line is, there are always exceptions. almost all adoption agencies have this rule. it's nothing new. obviously though, Ellen didn't read that part. that's a mistake on her part, which she owned up to. however, I think the agency could have made an exception and not yanked the animal out of a home without at least first taking a look at the situation, the facts and seeing if there's a way it could be worked out.

yes, it would have been great if the rescue organization had tried to work it out with the family but bottomline, Ellen was wrong. Just because she apologized and stated it was her fault, I don't think her publicly begging for the dog to be returned is very responsible. She really hasn't owned up to her mistake, she just begged for the adoption agency to return the dog...

So this kind of media attention may have a negative impact on all rescue organizations...and I can see from lots of message boards most people do not know how rescues work so they support Ellen.

My rescue agency just rescued over 200 dogs(mommies) and puppies from a puppy mill two weeks ago. They are up for adoption on PetFinder and at Petsmart this weekend and next...I hope this media story will not deter forever families but we are worried.

Our rescue agency has had this happen on occasion and we do try to work with the "new" family but we have also taken dogs from those "new" homes after research and review...

Yes, but isn't the whole point of an adoption agency for pets that they get placed in a nice family? It's not as if Ellen threw the dog on the street or gave it to the Manson family. She could have called to let them know, I'll give you that, but to take the dog away rather than let it stay with his new family is rather absurd. :shrug:

how exactly does she need to own up to her mistake?

What the Sam Hell does it matter? The agency should review their mission statement. FIND PETS GOOD HOMES. This one HAD ONE, and they YANKED IT over red tape. **** the dumb ****.

yes, she was wrong. and she has admitted that.

really? I think it's actually very responsible.

I'm sure it will have a negative impact, but the agency could have chosen to try to work this out and the media attention wouldn't be there. Ellen's speech on her show was urging them to return the dog to the family because the family is hurting over losing the dog and she felt responsible. it's her show, her vehicle...and she used it. the agency has no one to blame but themselves. but, btw, this isn't the only agency that has questionable tactics. I know of several in my area.

that is amazing. good for you. I have issues with people adopting animals from PetSmart, but that's off-topic.

carrie, I really don't know but I feel saying on tv "I'm responsible and I've owned up to my mistake" and just the begging in public for the dog to be returned just doesn't sit right with me...it's just my feeling/opinion :)

Petfinder has a great debate going on about this as well, lots of rescuers and pet owners have lots of great opinions...feel free to check it out


http://forums.petfinder.com/viewtopi...er=asc&start=0

Hi Sarah, I love your passion, you would make a great rescuerer...you're right sometimes it's hard to keep your eyes on the prize..."a good home for a good pet"...when you see such cruelty and callousness while rescueing...

Hi Jazmen, thanks for your feedback...we try to do a lot of private adoptions but when we do such large rescues, we do use PetSmart...PetSmart always raises the risk that a dog or puppy will be returned to our rescue...

I used to be an active board member but since I started working with pet rescue I've relapsed to lurker status...

sorry Dana, I didn't see your response right away...

this issue has happened with our agency and though we don't like it, we do try to work with the "new" family and get them through our approval process quickly and efficiently but even then we've had to deny and take the dog away.

Many heartbreaking and wierd things happen when you rescue so you try to make good rules and communicate them to all forever parents. You try to be flexible but sometimes it just doesn't work out with the approvals then the people get mad at you...but most don't have a tv show...

Do I agree with the death threats and bs the rescue is dealing with? Hell no.

I have adopted pets..I have dealt with adoption organizations and I could never be a rescuer because I get attached to animals in literally seconds. I would never want to give a foster animal up for adoption, I would want to keep them all. So I do truly admire people who do it. Animal lovers get attached very quickly just like those kids did. So, as far as using her show... Ellen thought she was doing right by the dog...she messed up. She apologized for it. She was emotional because she was responsible and felt bad about those kids losing the dog. She owned up to it and she thought she could help because she felt like sh*t. Good for her. I'm glad she used her show for it...she's human! I would have done the same thing. Will it change the situation? Probably not, but she still tried.

If I ever get a dog, I'll just go to a shelter or a breeder. I certainly don't need someone's approval to get a dog.

Caliestro, My own dog was a shelter dog. He was smart, loving, grateful and adapted wonderfully to our home for thirteen years. So I highly recommend that people who are interested in saving a dogs life, always check out your local kill shelter first...

After the death of my dog to cancer, my hubby and I discovered pet rescue. With Pet Rescue and Pet fostering we were able to save more than just one dog. Plus it helped us through the grief process. It's a big commitment which we do on a purely volunteer basis, I do not get paid to do this...but I do get attached. I'm always telling the forever parents and the rescue organization that if for any reason one of my foster dogs is returned, I want first dibs on keeping them. So far, cross your fingers, I still hear back from almost half of my forever families and none of my dogs have ever been returned.

I work with two rescues, but before I made a commitment to either one, I did extensive Internet/local reseach and checked each one out with the Better Business Bureau. In fact the second rescue I work with had been badly run but then was taken over by a different organization and they've been able to turn things around...

so always do your homework, especially if you are working with a breeder. Find out what they do to give back and help the overpopulation and callous abandonment in our pet community...Pet breeders should be like tree loggers, they should give back as well as take...:)