Is it me, or is it just wrong the way they took Ellen's old dog away from those kids?

Question

I understand if she sold the dog to a bad owner or something, but it seems the people she gave it to weren't criminals or anything.

Answer 1

I understand why they did what they did. My organization will threaten the same. They should have investigated the new home to make sure that it was suitable and made this a positive situation.

Edit** How is this a bad answer? The home should be investigated and should follow the same guidelines as any adopter. When an organization takes an animal into their care, the workers become very protective. Do I think it was right how the organization handled it? No. They should have taken the positive approach and interviewed the new family and educated Ellen again about her contract. I am sure that this is a good family. Working in rescue, I have been burned in the past by the perfect home. Everything can look good on paper and in person, but they can still be the worst home. I think that the organization should be protective....maybe we don't know the whole story. Rescues should always take a positive approach in situations like this and not take the dog away immediately...that is all that I am saying.

Answer 2

Where the Hell has commonsense gone.We are becoming a world of dumb *** logic.They did more harm then good.How many people you suppose will not adopt from there now. They ,pun INTENDED,screwed the pooch on this 1! Hey,Marina Baktise how does it feel to be Mutts and Moms biggest enemy? Lets see how it could have gone if Marina Baktis had a brain: Call Ellen up...Ring,Ring--Hey Ellen this is duh..er.Marina from Mutts and Numbs,how's Iggy? Oh! you know in the contract we ask you to notify us in this type of event.Well we have commonsense around here so if you don't mind could you tell us where Iggy is so we can arrange for a meeting with new family to determine if Iggy has a better life than at my POUND? We know you wouldn't have sent Iggy to a bad home but we would like for them to sign a contract like you had to. TaDa..Next day Ellen brags on air about how well Mutts and Moms follows up on adopted pets and used sound judgment in bending the over 14 age rule cause the kids where very close in age. Next thing you know your adopting or your getting donations left and right.

Answer 3

Ellen should have read the contract, however, she had good intentions.
I don't think that the agency is handling this situation appropriately.
They need to look into the family & proceed as if it were a new adoption. Maybe charge them another adoption fee.
To take the dog away from the children is cruel.
The purpose of these agencies is to find pets a home, not to destroy families.

Answer 4

I feel the shelter did what they had to do by the contract but in turn the family should have the right to go get the dog back in there name not Ellen's. It is a toss up on if the shelter did this for publicity. Def hard to say. I do think they should let the family adopt the dog now.

Answer 5

I've been really appalled by the behavior and attitudes I've seen in dog rescue agencies lately. I've been so put off by the ones I've talked to, I've seriously considered a breeder (a responsible one, not a puppy mill before everyone thumbs downs me) or just asking around with friends and friends of friends who might need to re-home their dog, keep the middle man out of it.

I think "Moms for Mutts" is power tripping. Many people who get into rescuing do it for the right reason, some do it so they can ego trip.

There's a segment of the population who think that their way of animal care is the only way, and you must put your animals needs above and beyond yours and everyone else's no matter the circumstance. It's a little extreme, it's like PETA with kongs.

Ellen probably should have read the agreement, but the rescue should have checked out the family, had them file a form and left the dog in a good home. Ellen did their work for them.

Really disgusted with the organization. Happy dog, happy kids, SAHMs with too much time on their hands "rescuing" the dog? Sounds like a bunch of drama queens. What an awful thing to do to kids.

Answer 6

Breeders, shelters, rescues that I know often lose complete track of their purpose, to find good homes for animals.

They veer off into bullying, harassing, intimidating and lecturing other people. This leads people to go to the internet or pet shops for their pets which makes the entire system the way it is.

People who volunteer their time and efforts for organizations should consider their prime objective and not stick to these ridiculous, rigid guidelines that make people think twice before going to the local pound to be grilled and lectured to by a complete stranger. This makes the act of adopting a pet a harsh and unpleasant ordeal when it should be joyous.

Small wonder that puppy mills survive and even thrive.

The rescue organization should simply have asked her some questions about the problem, asked if they might talk to the new owners and, if Ellen said it was ok, to call them and ask if the family needed any help. This is the proper way to do adoptions. Offer education, offer help and then let other people do the best they can.

Instead of lecturing other people about this, that and the other thing, organizations should offer puppy socialization classes, litter box problem counseling, growly dog classes and the like. Behaviour issues, not bad people but confused people, are the number one reason dogs end up in shelters.

I no longer send people who are looking for pets to the local shelter because of the nastiness of the people who work there. They are rude, arrogant, crude and insensitive. They also lack current knowledge and are apparently incapable of acting in a civil manner. They offer classes like grief counseling but I treat that as a joke since they are rude to people in grief.

Friends have been treated very badly and I can't send anyone else there.

Until they change, I will encourage people locally to go to pet shows or research pets on the net and simply buy one. I will also never give money or raise it for any organization that has tactics such as these. This is more about bullying other people than caring for the welfare of a dog.

Answer 7

Even though Ellen did a good thing by finding the little dog a great home. She still signed papers when she adopted the pup. saying that if she could not longer care for it it would go back to the shelter. I do not know if she realized she signed that paper. As for the shelter people just coming in and taking dog, I would have thought they would have called the new owners and set something up( home visit or such) to prove they had a good home for the dog and then they could have adopted the dog properly. Not just walking in and taking it. I am sure those kids were devastated. I am hoping the shelter will give that family the chance to adopt the dog.

Answer 8

I believe Ellen did the right thing in finding a good home for the dog; however, the rescue people should have been informed. I think it is wrong that they took the dog from the family. They should have visited the family and they would have been able to determine if this was the proper home, not just take the dog - no questions asked.

Answer 9

Ellen used good sense in what she did - she just did it the wrong way. Are we not all guilty of not reading our bank loan papers in their entirety or the liability clauses we click yes to on our computers?

I also feel strongly that the organization should have done an investigation on the family while the dog was there rather than further traumatize the dog's attachment to humans. It's like DHS on a bad day. Take the kid then ask questions later.

The purpose of the contract with a rescue operation is to ensure the animal (most often obtained because of a neglectful or abusive previous environment) is given a nurturing environment to prosper. I FEEL THIS ORGANIZATION FOLLOWED THE CONTRACT TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW BUT COMPLETELY NEGLECTED THE SPIRIT OF IT.

Answer 10

I work with a local rescue group. We want the dogs to come back to us b/c we want to ensure that we know these dogs have a great forever home. Yes, Ellen was wrong b/c she didn't contact them when she realized that she couldn't take care of the dog, however the rescue should have researched the family that got the dog and then let them adopt him. I'm sure that Ellen wouldn't have just given that dog to some horrible home. They should not have just taken the dog, that is insane. That family should be 1st on the list to adopt the dog!