A late take on the whole Ellen DeGeneres dog controversy

I just came from speaking with Marina and Vanessa, the two women who run Mutts & Moms, the agency that adopted Iggy the puppy to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. Nobody in the U.S. who's not in a coma has been spared the onslaught of media coverage and editorials about this story, so I'm almost embarrassed to add my thoughts to the whole hullabaloo. But as dog "mom" and an animal lover, I was genuinely curious. And to be honest, I went in siding somewhat with Ellen, because I believe she's done a lot of good in the past; but I've been a customer of Marina and Vanessa's shop for over a year, and I wanted to hear their side of the story. I was prepared not to continue shopping there if I felt that they were in the wrong. They did not want to defend themselves, and they didn't try to force their story on me; in fact, I had to coax it out of them.

They explained that they did try to accommodate Cheryl, Ellen's hairdresser, to whom Iggy was given by Ellen. They repeatedly called Cheryl and her family, asking them to come in for an interview (note, I did NOT say "fill out an application," which is what everyone seems to be hung up on). An interview with the family is part of their adoption process. But Cheryl refused each time she was asked, until eventually she said that Marina and Vanessa would have to come to her house for the interview at a specific time.

When Marina and Vanessa arrived at Cheryl's house at the appointed time, someone — presumably either Cheryl, Ellen, or Kelly Bush (Ellen's publicist) — had called TMZ, because the cameras were already there to film the whole situation.

The police were not brought in my Marina and Vanessa either, they were called by someone else, presumably Cheryl or her family, to keep Marina and Vanessa from taking the dog. It was only when Marina and Vanessa explained the situation to the police (and apparently Iggy's ID microchip was scanned, though they didn't mention that) that the officers stepped in on their behalf.

They went on to explain to me that the general rule they have against adopting out to homes with children under 14 exists when the adoption involves small dogs, and it's for the safety of the children. I was told that they have seen families whose younger kids are very good with dogs, including small ones, and the dogs do well for the most part. But they've seen situations when kids have a group of friends over, that the other children can be too rambunctious, or the noise and extra activity makes the dog so nervous that they act out, including nipping and other misbehaviors. So they've determined that it's best not to place small dogs in homes with kids under 14. But still, they were willing to meet with Cheryl and her family to determine if an exception could be made, and Cheryl refused to meet, except at the time and place she designated (as described above).

Finally, they told me that the contract is very clear that if an adoptive family can't or won't keep the dog they adopted, it is to be returned to the rescue agency. They do it because they can then be sure that the dog will be placed in another great home. They take responsibility for the animals they rescued. They were willing to interview Cheryl and her family for this.

So there are the facts. Now here's my opinion. Sometimes rescue groups are a little too diligent; perhaps Cheryl's home would have been perfectly suitable for Iggy. But their hearts are in the right place. And Ellen and/or Portia signed a contract. You know what? If you sign a contract, you have to abide by its terms, unless it's somehow not a legally binding agreement. And then you take that matter up with the courts. And if you feel you need redress, be responsible about getting it. Ellen has enormous power and privilege, and she didn't think about the consequences before wielding it, either in giving the dog away when it wasn't her place to do so, or in using her show to ask the agency to see things her way. Now a couple of children and the dog are paying the price for this dispute. And the rescue group is seriously considering not doing any more rescues, because after this whole debacle, they are having trouble placing dogs for which they are already caringe; so going forward, more dogs will suffer. And that's the greatest tragedy of all this.