Over the last twenty-four hours, there has been a lot of discussion about the Ellen DeGeneres dog story. I have been contacted by some of those that know that I have done work with an animal rescue, and that know that I enjoy commenting on certain entertainment stories that have an touch of controversy. For those of you that are not familiar with the issue, you can read about it here.
All animal rescues have rules for adoption, Mutts and Moms is no different. These rules are set up because of past experience. People have to remember that these rules are set up for both the protection of the adoptive family, and the protection of the animal.
Since DeGeneres announced this issue on her TV show, the Mutts and Moms rescue has had to deal with everything from questions from the media, to bomb threats from fans of Ellen DeGeneres. Being a member of the public eye, DeGeneres should have known that her emotional plea should have known that she could have put the members of the Mutts and Moms rescue in danger.
There have been countless times in the past where celebrity disagreements and issues have turned into threats against one of the parties involved. Usually, the threats are directed to whoever is causing the torment in the mind of the star.
DeGeneres should have spent the time to read the contract for adoption. It would have explained to her that there was a time frame in which she had to keep ownership of the dog. Many of these contracts explain that if the adoptive parent can’t keep possession of the pet for any reason, the animal has to go back to the rescue.
While I am not familiar with the Mutts and Moms rescue, I am sure that this negative publicity is discouraging to the members that give their time to make the lives of animals better. I would not be surprised if some of the members leave the rescue, or to cut back the amount of effort that they give for their chosen cause.
In pleading her case, DeGeneres has endangered the members of the Mutts and Moms rescue and caused for the animals that they protect to become endangered as well. What she will need to do is to offer an apology and explain that this issue was her fault (which it was since she did not read the contract).
I am happy to see that the Mutts and Moms rescue is not giving in to the pressure that is being applied by DeGeneres and her fans. This should be looked at as a major victory of the common person over celebrities. Too often in our society the rich and famous are able to rewrite the rules because of the power that they are given by our society.
If the Mutts and Moms rescue were to give in on this issue, it would set up a precedence that would loom for many years. The people who would want to adopt pets from Mutts and Moms in the future would want the rules to be broken for them. It would also cause many people to try to veer the rules of other animal rescues in the future.
I am sure that this issue will continue to grow over the next few days. I just hope that DeGeneres will have the vision to realize that she is in the wrong, and is leading a group of deranged fans against people who are simply trying to stand behind a respectable cause of trying to make the lives of forsaken animals easier.
