Ellen, I was so moved by your Iggy segment. I don't know who cried harder, you or me. My own dog, who was my very best friend, had just died a few days before and so I was so feeling your pain, too. I don't think I will ever get over losing my dog. It is so terribly hard to lose a dog and I feel so bad for the kids that had to give him up. It was just so unfair. You have got to be the most caring animal lover I have seen in show business. That is just one reason I always watch your show. Keep up the good work.

You know, I'm glad the shelter took the dog. Just cause she's famous doesn't give her the right to override rules. She should of read the agreement. Who signs something without reading it first, stuid! Don't get me wrong, I love Ellen, But she is a "normal" human being like everyone else, and she should have to follow the rules!
-Opal

Ellen is an adult and presumably knows how to read, has a contract that she expects her employer to follow when dealing with her, so why should she be any different than anyone else who signs a contract? I am so fed up with "stars" thinking that the rules don't apply to them. This dog was a puppy and I believe, at least part terrier which any knowledgable dog person would know, will chase the cats. When I rescued my knew pup it took our cat 6 weeks to even come out of hiding, now they are best friends. This is not the first dog she adopted then dumped, the same way the poor animal wound up in the rescue system to begin with, it didn't fit in to her life. The correct thing to do would have been to return the dog to the rescue, they have waiting lists of people who want small, young dogs. This dog was not to go to a family with kids under the age of 13, what would you bleeding hearts have written if she was instead blubbering about the dog biting one of the children? If her hairdresser can't afford to buy her children a dog, then maybe she should look for employment with someone who pays her a decent salary.

ellen is over reacting. its not like the dog has been with the hairdresser and her kid for years ! they CAN live without the dog cmon! dont use your celebrity status to get your way. you signed the contract, and so comply! i used to like ellen a lot but this really turned me off.

Replace the word dog with the word hamster and you will see how ridiculous this whole thing is.

I love cats and dogs too, but why are we placing so much importance on one type of animal when we are supposed to be the stewards of all creatures?

This shelter needs to relax, people who fight dogs and send them to labs don't spend thousands of dollars on a dog--there's a "free to a good home" special in every newspaper. Get over yourselves.

ellen didnt nothing wrong!!!!! i am proud of her and my heart goes out to all parties involved EXEPT mutts and moms. inlight of all of this i now will NEVER adopted for any rescue organization. my family and i are looking forward to adding a dog to our brewd and WERE very intrested in "adoption". now, NO WAY!!! we will go through a breader or perhaps just look in the paper for adds that read "moving, dog needs go home."
thankyou elen for warning us about the complete need to comtrol EVERYTHING if we had gone through a rescue "warden". ANYONE WHO FEELS ELEN DID ANYTHING OTHER THAN ACT ON HER HEART, WELL I HOPE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU SOMEDAY END UP CAGED IN A SMALL ROOM WITH A COLD CEMENT FLOOR AND NOTHING BUT A BOWL OF WATER AND SOME DRY STALE FOOD TO EAT. karma!!!

Dogs are killed everyday at the pounds. Where is the outcry from that? Unfortunately, if Ellen would not have brought this to a national level then it could of been taken care of in a more civilized matter. The shelters have strict rules when it comes to adoption and Ellen is no different.

I understand what you are saying Patty, but I don't think we heard everything about this story. Since, as you said, the adoption process had a higher criteria your second time around shows that the rescue center you dealt with made the rules clear to you before you adopted.

I would have to assume that Mutts and Moms, didn't have this rule buried in the fine print of a contract, but most likely carefully went over what was expected from Ellen before the adoption was finalized. I am certain that perhaps an exception could have been made, had Ellen called the place and explained everything that happened, but instead when a checkup call was made they had to find out she already gave the dog to a friend, thereby ignoring a very specific and important rule.

Years ago, I adopted a stray Newfoundland -- and our local animal shelter was fabulous. We fostered the dog and when the owners were never found, we formally adopted her. After she passed away (from old age), we decided to adopt another dog from a rescue. What a horrible process. The application process required confidential information that shouldn't be shared with non-profit organizations. They required certain types of fencing. They required multiple home visits. Finally, we just gave up and purchased a Bichon puppy. It was easier and less stressful. In fact, we just purchased another Bichon from a private breeder. The dogs are a part of the family and get along beautifully. They are well cared for -- and we adore them! I certainly understand needing rules to screen for possible problems. But rescue organizations need to use good judgment as well when evaluating home situations. Sometimes bending the rules to ensure a dog has a good home makes sense.

Interestingly, dog rescues aren't the only ones with strict rules. We tried to adopt a bird and came across the same hassles. Finally, we found one rescue that decided that even though we didn't meet all their criteria, they would work with us because it was too hard to find good homes for birds. They gave us advice and guidance (no home visit, by the way!). Today, those birds -- a moluccan cockatoo and an amazon -- are doing beautifully. In fact, we adopted another moluccan from our vet (a bird abandoned and abused by a former owner). If those people at the rescue hadn't taken the time to educate us and give us a chance, those birds might still be waiting for a good home!

As a PR pro, I can say that Mutts & Moms really blew it from public relations perspective. Talk about being in full crisis mode! I wouldn't be surprised if they lost their entire business over this one. They should have offered to work with Ellen and the family -- and in exchange, asked for the opportunity to come onto the show and educate people about how important it is for people to considering rescuing a dog! They would have come out the heroes, publicized their organization -- and the puppy would have gotten a good home. Good case study for businesses....when working with celebrities, remember that they can do wonders for your business! Or ruin it!

Pat

I say Kudos to Mutts and Moms for putting the dogs well being first by enforcing their policies. They are there for a reason and a celebrity should not get preferential treatment over the average person.

People talk about how the shelter should know how the dog deals with cats and are assuming it was the dog that was the aggressive one. How do we know that it wasn't the cats who did not like the dog? It would not be unusual for an animal to get aggressive at a new animal moving in. Once that happened Ellen should have brought back the dog to the shelter and asked if they could interview her hairdresser for a possible adoption.

For those questioning whether Ellen gets her money back, the answer is no. She was the one who broke the contract.

Now thanks to her and the nutball psychos harassing the owner, the Shelter will be shut down. One less shelter means a lot more dogs and cats are going to be euthanized because other adoption agencies simply won't have the room for them.