Ellen Degeneras Dog fight?

Question

If you heard about Ellen's fight with a dog she adopted, What is your take on it. She adopted a small dog that didn't get along with her cat, & she gave it to her hairdresser. When the agency found out, they took the dog back. The family is devasted. They loved the dog. I didn't know this law existed. Now I'm torn. I know Ellen wouldn't give a dog to just anyone, she knew this family very well. So What would you do? Thanks for the input

Ellen went on her show to plead for the return of the dog. Now the adoption agency is recieving death threats. Ellen said it has gotten way out of hand. I agree. The dog has been adopted out to another family. Don't they realize this transfer of different ownder can also be devasting to the dog, not just the families?

Well Greg. If that's true that it was adopted by her girlfriend, then that would explain why Ellen said she didn't know about this law. You are the only one who seems to know this. I agree with the others as far as celeb status. This whole thing has gottne way out of hand.

Answer 1

The "agency" is after something and there will probably be a huge lawsuit against Ellen for, hmm, about $5 million.

Yes, I am sure the "agency" will claim that the whole event has thoroughly traumatized them, and they are just innocent victims. That mean ol' Ellen has just been so, well, mean. How dare she find a loving home for a dog. Honestly, the nerve. How dare she take away money that the agency could get from another family. Honestly, the nerve.

Goodness, maybe Ellen has been plotting against them for such a very long time. All of Ellen's shows where she has talked about how much she loves animals and all the shows where she has been so generous and kind were just fake, leading up to this very moment where she can have all this publicity over a little dog. Perhaps...perhaps Ellen worked to become a celebrity just so she could use her celebrity status to adopt a dog and then give the dog to someone else and then cry on television. Yes, by George, that's it!!!!!!!! It's a conspiracy!!!!!

I am curious to find out how many times the"agency" has pulled the same stunt on other families. When I heard that they don't place animals in homes with children under 14, I immediately thought the "agency" was unstable. But, now that Ellen brought the issue to the public eye, the "agency" has to use disparaging remarks (through their attorney) in an attempt to cast negativity on Ellen's actions.

There are so many great animal care/adoption facilities out there. Moms and Mutts is obviously not one of them.

Answer 2

The dog agency has certain policies.

No small dogs adopted to families with children under 14.
It is a reasonable policy considering small dogs often are harmed by children accidentally.

Any dog deemed not suitable for the adoptee is to be returned to the agency so the agency can find a suitable home.
It is a reasonable policy that probably all adoption agency's subscribe to.

Just because Ellen had good intentions doesn't mean those policies should be ignored or thrown out simply because she had money. ANYONE who adopts a dog should read the papers you are signing. If you don't and a situation like this happens, it's not the fault of the agency, but your own fault for not reading or not adhering to the policies of the agency you are adopting from.


The heartbreak and pain the family that Ellen gave the dog too is going through is Ellen's fault because she did not follow procedure, not the agency's.

Answer 3

What Ellen did and is doing is wrong. Just because it's Ellen doesn't mean she should get preferential treatment. If they excuse it this time then will they have to excuse it next time when some adopts a puppy only to give it to someone like Michael Vick to use as a training dog for his pit bull to tear apart? Ellen stated that rules should be broken but the rules are there in the first place for a reason and just because she is a National Television personality doesn't relieve her of her obligation, she can't trade a dog like she would an old Microwave she just doesn't want anymore.

Also, she is doing HORRIBLE damage to the rescue community as a whole by doing this all publicly and she is setting back dog adoption and rescue years by doing what she is doing. If she actually cared so much for animals she would stop this public fight and muckraking of the dog rescue group she was dealing with.

Answer 4

Many of those types of places are nothing more than a money racket. I would want to know how much Ellen paid (celebrity status) verses the "new" family paid.
I love the idea of the NO KILL shelters, but some of them are just a little "anal" when it comes to what they think verses what others think and many do not believe they think like they do as in "what is best for the dog". Money talks and BS walks. I bet if she walked in there with a donation of $10,000 and to receive the money they would have to give the dog back to the people she had given it to I bet they would go to that other family and remove the dog asap. I no longer adopt from those types of places anymore. If I look for another pet or one to give to a friend as a gift I go straight to the animal shelter on adoption day and pay under $100 with all the extra shots and spay and neuter. Some of the no kills are in excess of 140$ to $200 depending on the animal. It all has to do with being above the animal control law, control over the adoptees, and money.

Answer 5

Good lord, has everyone lost their minds? Even good breeders have return clauses because they don't want their dogs to go to unknown sources who may not satisfy their adoption criteria. That's what good rescues also do. You may not agree with the high standards set by the rescue organization in this case but the terms and conditions were placed there for good reason. Portia knew what she was signing and agreed to it; Marina Batkis, the rescue woman, went through it with her in person. Then Portia/Ellen violated the terms by passing the dog on to someone who would not have qualified under this particular rescue's guidelines. Now Ellen is using her soapbox to get public sympathy and get her way. Not fair.

You do realize, don't you, that it was not the rescue that got the $3000? They get very little in adoption fees and they have to cover the balance of their vetting expenses through donations and fundraising. Marina feeds the rescue dogs from inventory in her store, so she is donating a lot out of her own funds. Too bad that her store will have to close down now because of the death and arson threats of all the loonies out there.

The fault lies squarely with Ellen/Portia who knew the rescue she was dealing with and placed the dog in an unsuitable environment according to that rescue's guidelines. Then she played foul by making the issue public. All to get her own way.

And as for those in the public saying that the dog would be best back with the hairdresser's family, have you been to their house to check that out? Have you had rescue experience to know what the potential drawbacks are? Are you in possession of all the facts and have heard all the discussion that took place? Maybe we should leave this to a judge to decide.

The bottom line is that because of`two mistakes by Ellen and Portia (not returning the dog & making this a public issue), it will be harder to place rescued dogs in good homes. That ticks me off royally.

p.s. for Poodle K - someone has to pay for the vetting in every case. I just paid almost $400 to a shelter to adopt a stray. The amount was set by the vet bills they had to incur for neutering, shots etc.

Answer 6

I really feel bad for the family that had been given the dog by ellen. Ellen should have respected the agreement that she had with the rescue group. I am sure that they had the clause in there that if the dog did not work out, she was to give it back to the rescue. That is what she should have done, and then referred the family and the rescue group to each other.
Even though they may have a policy that does not allow families with children under a certain age to adopt one of their rescues, they may have considered it since at that point Ellen would have been honest and straight with them.

Now she comes across as a person who does not respect the contract that she signed.

Ellen is the only one truely in the wrong here. She should have honored her contract.

Answer 7

Let it go! This is not unheard of-

I have NEVER heard of a rescue that didn't include an agreement in the contract that states the dog must be returned to the rescue in the even that the adopter can't keep him. It's irresponsible of anyone not to pay close attention to what you are agreeing to. Even some breeders include this in a contract. Ellen is an avid animal lover and I find it very difficult to believe that she didn't know about this obligation. I like her an feel for the family but I think she may have just thought she could get around it.

Answer 8

ok you did not listen to the story right. Ellen did not adopt the dog her girl friend adopted it and gave the dog to Ellen.
This means the girl friend broke the legal contract she signed.
Ellen had no legal rights to the animal in the first place and all her crying is crap just because shes a star dose not mean she is above the law.
And the other thing why is she trying to get it back its clear that she did not want the animal if she had she would not have given it away in the first place..
so anyway Ellen needs to shut up about the dog its not hers and never was.

Answer 9

I think Ellen did the right thing in finding a good home for the dog. I agree that she wouldn't just give "Iggy" to anyone. I can tell you this, if they had showed up at my door demanding the dog back there is no way in hell that they would have taken that dog away from my kids. That contract may have been with Ellen but it sure wasn't with the lady and her kids. To hurt those kids like that and remove the dog from a loving home, what is that group thinking?

Answer 10

i presumed she regarded like the little Dutch Boy on the paint can. in spite of the certainty that her pants have been too short, she replaced into cute as a computer virus. i'm particular somebody else picked out her outfit, yet she might have long previous alongside with it. Ellen rocks.