Ellen Degeneres

[fenton8]

I'm siding with the rescue organization on this one. Yes, they're totally overzealous in making their point, but they have rules for a reason - they've seen the filthy side of human irresponsibility and they don't trust people for good reason. Well meaning though she may be, I'm totally put off by how Ellen handled the situation. She should have called the placement service, explained why she couldn't handle the little guy (which I also find suspect) and had her hairdresser apply through the appropriate channels. And she keeps referring to the dog as an "it"- a personal pet peeve that reinforces the idea that pets are objects/toys.

I've also had to swallow my pride in an attempt to adopt a rescue. We were rejected once because we already had 2 dogs and didn't have a fenced-in yard and another family did. It stung, but we got over it. When we eventually adopted 2 rescue Cockers, the lady was supremely rude and as we loaded them into the car, she said "I'm sure I'll be seeing them again." We proved her wrong of course. But while her words were insulting, they told me she's been burned and disappointed by people often enough to have zero trust.

Dog rescuers are a breed apart. Their work is so heartwrenching on a daily basis. I've worked and volunteered at shelters and in the beginning would have daily Ellen-sized breakdowns after witnessing all the suffering and tragic situations for so many animals. You get crusty and bitter after a while.

[Deleted]

Bunny mentioned upthread the expression "bully pulpit", a phrase fabulously unfamiliar to me, but one I'm going to make a point of trying to use in future. And it sort of fits with Degeneres's display, which, animal sentiment aside, was absolutely ghastly and inappropriate.

Call me insensitive, but I flashed on Jerry Falwell there for a second.

[Deleted]

From Page Six

October 17, 2007 -- ELLEN DeGeneres may be crying in public over the dog she gave up, but her flack, Kelly Bush, is doing the TV host's dirty work behind the scenes.

Yesterday on her show, DeGeneres bawled over Iggy, the mutt she adopted a month ago, then passed off to her hairdresser two weeks later, claiming the pup didn't get along with her cats.

But in handing off the pooch, DeGeneres broke a contract she'd signed with Pasadena-based pet adoption agency Mutts & Moms stipulating she was to return Iggy to the agency if the pet wasn't a good fit for her and girlfriend Portia de Rossi.

When Mutts & Moms called to check on the dog, DeGeneres told them she had given it away. On Sunday, they went and took Iggy back, leaving the hairdresser's two kids devastated. DeGeneres begged publicly for them to return it to the family, saying she was an "animal lover" who thought she was doing the right thing.

But Keith Fink, a lawyer for Mutts & Moms, tells Page Six's Marianne Garvey it's all an act. Behind the scenes, DeGeneres' publicist was calling the small agency and threatening it, says Fink, who played a vicious voice-mail message for us:

"This is Kelly Bush. We are filing a legal case against you. We are going to be contacting the media. This is not going to be good for your store or your organization. You did not do the right thing. You need to call back. There is no reason for you to take this dog. Please call back before this gets further out of hand."

"Ellen's lying," said Fink. "She is using her power and her access to the media to destroy this agency in the media. This is a woman who has signed many seven-figure contracts. She knows what she signed."

According to Fink, after yesterday's show aired, Ellen's fans bombarded Mutts & Moms' owner, Marina Batkis, with threatening calls to "burn her house down." One fan said, "You slimeball bitches are not worthy of living. How dare you make Ellen cry. Give Iggy back!"

Bush denied making threats. "I have not left any threatening messages at all," she said. "The agency threatened to go to the media and I said that wouldn't be a good idea. I told them there's just no need to escalate this . . . They started this by wanting to take it public. I was the one who said, 'Let's talk about this.' "

IMO, if she signed a contract that she would return the dog if it didn't work out, she should have returned the dog. I love Ellen, but ignoring a contract and then trying to get the public to pressure the agency is uncalled for.

[Brookie]

Yeah, sigh. I'm a big Ellen fan and always watch her show when I'm around in the morning, but dang I gotta side with the agency. Read stuff before you sign it because what you're signing is legal and binding unless otherwise noted, and please don't think that you can do whatever you want because of who you are. And, don't then get pissy with the people you made the agreement with when they enforce it.

[Deleted]

I thought it was shitty that she took it on her show that was really manipulative of her. She knew what kind of reaction the agency would get by her crying on her show about the injustice of it all and telling them to please return the dog.

[plush]

"Ellen's lying," said Fink. "She is using her power and her access to the media to destroy this agency in the media. This is a woman who has signed many seven-figure contracts. She knows what she signed."

"She is adamant that she is not going to be bullied around by the Ellen DeGenereses of the world ... They are using their power, position and wealth to try to get what it is they want."

Oh now I think someone is really on an ego trip to prove to the world that she won't be bullied by a celebrity. Ellen is wrong to break the rules and if her attorney is putting pressure on the agency, that may have angered them even more and are adamant to prove them wrong. The only one who suffers is that poor dog but I don't think the agency cares at this point. Also, they should care about the publicity they're getting because it's not the kind that makes people knock on their door. If I lived in L.A I'd write down Moms & Mutts and make sure to avoid it. They may be right, but I still wouldn't want to deal with them because I'm turned off.

[margojata]

I just can't get over her crying so hard! I thought at first that her mother had died - the way she said it was such a terrible day, and she couldn't go on and be happy. Sheesh. I know it's a sad situation, but she must really not have a lot of other problems in her life if this is devastating her.

That said, 14 sounds really silly. Especially with girls. Girls that age would be wonderful with a small dog. This all could have been done quietly - would it have been so hard for the agency to go over there and check it out to avoid this mess?

[shirazplease]

Still, I guess now they get to sell him all over again, already neutered and trained, and make some more $$$$$.

Rescues don't sell dogs. They charge an adoption fee to recoup the cost of vetting, food, etc...

Ellen was completely innappropriate about this. Rescues make it explicity clear that you have to return the dog if it doesn't work out. They have to get references from any adopting family and make home visits, etc...to make sure it's an appropriate home for a dog. If they got the dog for the kids, that's not a good reason. Those girls will be teenagers soon and probably more interested in other things besides the dog. Then the mom will end up caring for the dog and she may not enjoy it. When you adopt an animal, you have to think of the long term consequences.

I don't dislike Ellen but I think her "animal lover" persona is a farce. At best, she's misguided and ignorant. She wouldn't have a performing elephant on her show if she knew the conditions those animals are subject to and how they are captured, bred and imported. She wouldn't do a commercial full of exotic performing animals if she cared about true animal conservation and welfare. Maybe she just doesn't know, but she should care to learn. If she cared abouth other dogs from this rescue finding homes, she wouldn't trash them and make a spectacle on national TV. The dogs are the ones that will end up paying for her little drama.

ETA, we're supposed to be impressed by her mentioning the dollar amount they spent to acclimate him? Dollar amounts shouldn't matter. And then she refers to him as "it"? Whatever.

[sugarhigh]

The resuce agency sound like bullies, to me. They've certainly turned me off going that route when I adopt a dog.

[Witchie]

I'm siding with the agency. Ellen's signed contracts before. She knows to read the fine print. She thought the rules didn't apply to her, and because she's Ellen, it would be alright. Nope, it wasn't. If Ellen feels this bad, she should take the girls to the pound and let them pick out another dog. I know they are attached, but rules are rules. And it bothers me, she calls Iggy "it" too. He or she, there is no it when it comes to a beloved pet.