Here’s an old story. A couple adopts a dog. They spend money on the dog’s care, they grow to love the dog, but sadly they come to realize that the dog is incompatible with their home. What else would a responsible pet owner do but find the dog another home? So, the couple hands over their prized pooch to new parents and calls it a day. It’s a simple, happy ending, right?
Well, not when one of the adopting parents is Ellen DeGeneres and the agency the dog came from is Mutts and Moms. Ellen and her partner, Portia de Rossi, adopted a four-month-old Brussels Griffon terrier and spent thousands of dollars to make sure Iggy was neutered and trained to get along with cats. Unfortunately though, the dog proved to be too high-energy for the couple to take care of. So DeGeneres decided to give the dog to her hairstylist’s family so Iggy could have a good home.
Everything was working out fine until Ellen received a call from Mutts and Moms checking on how the dog was doing. To her credit, DeGeneres told the truth and informed Mutts and Moms that she had given the dog to another family who were taking excellent care of him. Well, Mutts and Moms had the couple sign an agreement stating that they would not give the dog to another home without first informing them. And, to complicate matters, Mutts and Moms has a policy of not allowing families with children younger than 14 to adopt small dogs; a criteria the hairstylist’s two daughters are a few years shy of. So, on Sunday October 14th, 2007, Mutts and Moms removed the dog from the hairstylist’s family home.
On Tuesday, October 16, Ellen tearfully related Iggy’s story to her national television audience and pleaded with Mutts and Moms to return the dog. Ellen said, “I thought I did a good thing. I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn’t keep it…” She continued, “I feel totally responsible for it, and I’m so sorry. I’m begging them to give that dog back to that family. 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.”
Since that episode of Ellen has aired, Mutts and Moms has been the target of calls for a boycott, death threats, arson threats, and received dozens of expletive-filled messages about their handling of the situation. Attorney Keith A. Fink has been working pro bono for the owner, Marina Batkis, and speaking publicly on her behalf. As Fink said to Associated Press, “[Batkis] doesn’t think this is the type of family that should have the dog. 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.”
And, in another twist on the story, Fink appeared “live” Wednesday, October 17th on Wired 96.5’s Chio In The Morning show to further clarify Mutts and Moms’ side of the story. Fink alleges that not only was DeGeneres herself present when Mutts and Moms came to remove the dog, but she had people from tmz.com there as well. Fink believes this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate Batkis. Although, the accuracy of this new information from Fink has yet to be verified, and Ellen has not been questioned about this by any news source that I’m aware of.
Regardless of whether it was right or wrong for Mutts and Moms to remove Iggy from his happy home, Ellen DeGeneres did handle the situation badly. By making the disagreement between her and the company public, complete with a heartbreaking story and the comedienne’s very real tears, she opened up the small Pasadena agency to a huge public backlash. I’m sure she’s well aware of how popular her show is and has exact numbers to prove it. How could she not expect considerable public outcry after relating her sad tale about a cute little puppy dog being taken from a loving home and returned to a cold, lonely shelter? I’m sure her intention was to drum up enough support to force the agency to return the dog to her hairstylist’s family, but it was a very manipulative maneuver at best. If nothing else, Batkis and Fink are right that Ellen deliberately used her considerable position in the media to put a lot of pressure on Mutts and Moms. Even if she feels – and I truly believe she does – that she’s doing it for the dog’s own good, there should be a limit to how far a celebrity can exploit their own status. And, ethics aside, someone in her entourage definitely should have stopped Ellen before she put herself at risk for what seems will be a practically inevitable liability lawsuit from Mutts and Moms.
Sources
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=6e982e8c-4080-4044-b941-cec226782721&sid;=fd-news
Wired 96.5, “Chio In The Morning”, 10.17.07, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Broadcast
