[…]Itchmo: News For Dogs & Cats » Blog Archive » DeGeneres Cancels Show Tapings After Dog Controversy, Mutts and Moms Attorney Speaks[…]

Public reaction
The public response was swift, polarized, and far reaching. There were few surprise reactions with the exception of Craig’s List pet forum. Because this pet forum is an experienced, emotional, pro-adoption group, we expected the forum to attack the shelter for taking dogs away from a home. CL sentiment was that Ellen should have read the contract, not take this public. The shelter got death threats.

The skinny
The inevitable inaccuracies are identified. Ellen’s new dog mostly with a dog trainer. Mom’s & Mutts, didn’t go to the media first. Ellen has given away a pooch(es) before.

Rearview mirror
A fight between a star and an animal rescue group. The two sides on whether the animal be returned to shelter: The American Humane Association “recommends” a more open adoption process that does not require the animal be returned to shelter. Mom’s & Mutts are standing fast.

On the Internet
Because of Ellen’s story, adopting animals is on PM’s mind. Some things PM discovered when we searched “rescue, shelter, adoption.”

A search for “top pet rescues” brings up 20 different dogs. Horses, cats, birds are the runner-ups.

An adoption search in Chicago metro using “Walmart/pets” and “petfinder.com” brings up 750 dogs and 1,350 cats. Maybe big generic numbers, on display everywhere, are sometimes lost on me. Let people know what’s happening in your zip code!

People vs pets
This media event also provoked many comments saying it’s a shame that pets get more attention than kids when it comes to rescue and adoption. Maybe not. Do a similar search less “pets” and we find an assortment of breaking news, blogs. The reality: Write a story and they will come.

The above is a summary to adhere to keep comment word count limited. A full story with links and details can be found at http://www.petmonologues.com/p.....later/465/

CD, thanks for the update on the affair at the hairdresser’s house. It would be good to see more news about what transpired at the home visit.

For what it’s worth, I understand and appreciate the emotions and experience behind your post.

I’m not a rescuer but have worked with them. For some reason, lots of animals find their way to my house , knock on the front door and ask if they can live there. I keep everybody I can and rescuers help us find permanent homes for the rest. (I live with many ‘unadoptables’ who are loving and affectionate too.)

I do feel Mutts and Moms got caught in a celebrity fueled firestorm that did not accurately portray their side of the story.

One bright person here posted a link to smirkingchimp.com where Kate Milazzo does some good reporting on the Ellen story. Not to rehash the whole thing, but the fact that there was already a dog at the hairdresser’s house, that apparently was not neutered and not allowed in the house, was part of the problem. Plus they didn’t want to file an application, etc.

In any case, just wanted to say some of us hear you and understand and appreciate what you do.

I’m curious about what the MandM premises look like. How many animals…..how they plan to find homes for them now…. And do they have a sales license?

Where does the hairdresser live?

“What does loving animals have to do with wanting to “let the world know who did it to me”…ME? How about caring about the dog or the kids? That proves my point that Ellen was very egocentric in making a media circus over the problem just because she had the power to do so.”

If you had read the paragraph completely [”It wouldn’t be because I wanted to get the ratings up…..it would be out of my love for animals.”] you should have inferred my love efor animals and their well-being.

And if you read any of my earlier responses you would know that I put the dog first. It’s NEVER about ME - it’s always about the animals.

seems like the no kids under 14 rule is a relatively new rule. From their website, archive dated April 07:

Kids:
Do you have children under 12 or 14? Getting a dog is like adding another child to your household. And a puppy is even harder. Many families find that with the demands of raising children and driving them to various activities, they don’t have time to housebreak or train a puppy. And soon the little puppy becomes a big dog jumping on children and guests, begging for attention, and even getting into trouble. Obedience training is recommended for every household member, so everyone is practicing the same techniques (consistent practice is the key to training). We strongly recommend families consider a more mature dog whose size and temperament is known. A dog who seems happy, active, likes to be touched, and is not sensitive to handling and noise is typically a good choice for homes with children.

If you want a puppy, why? No matter how adorable, all puppies grow up, and grow quickly. A cute, sweet little puppy can become a rough and difficult dog if not given consistent, effective obedience training. Being good with children is highly dependent on the breed, temperament and practicing good obedience training. If you have a busy household, a puppy is not the best choice. Puppies require more supervision and training, especially for discouraging common behavior such as jumping, chewing and nipping.

What size is right for you? If you have children in the home, tiny breeds are a poor choice, since children can accidentally hurt the dog, and many small breeds are naturally wary of children. Choose a dog with whom the children can safely play. And size does not indicate energy level; some small boisterous terriers seem to take up more room and time than a large calm dog. If you live in an apartment or condo, look for a reasonably quiet dog — and practice techniques for avoiding separation anxiety from day one. (A dog with separation anxiety will often howl and bark, as well as destroy things out of fear, when left alone.)

http://web.archive.org/web/200.....dmoms.org/

it’s in the “what dog is right for you” section.

wasn’t it the father who decided to video it after things started going downhill? I think TMZ showed up after the fact, as did ellen and her partner. the rescue woman showed up with her partner and another guy who i believe turned out to be their *lawyer who doesn’t represent them but can speak on their behalf*. i think on the video taken that evening the girl referred to him as a body guard or something to that effect. but i do wonder why they brought him along, if i have this right ;)

and from what i saw of M&M’s website before it was yanked, they had a lot of dogs, but didn’t look like a lot of mom’s w/litters. looks like they do take them in from what i could glean from the archives, but not a majority of their rescues. may have been their original intent . . . . but they didn’t strike me as any different than any other all-breed rescue except that they only had one pit that i could see, lol!~

Don’t worry about Ellen affecting HSUS’s funding. Bill Gates just gave them $100k.

Iggy did eventually get re-homed to agency standards (whether you agree with them or not). This is important because a few blogs have been on about the importance of getting pets to a decent home, and overlooking the completion of this important goal.

What irks me is the power of media. This is such a David and Goliath situation, and a few misplaced words on TV get some very nasty things going worldwide. I expect it is weighing on Ellen’s mind that she can have such a negative impact on a small agency and the very real people who run it and have been rescuing puppies and their mothers for year, as well as on rescue agencies (and their funding) in general, including HSUS and ASPCA. As an animal advocate, I’d expect this has turned out to be her worst nightmare. Of course, her PR person has only dug her in deeper.

Lesliek summed things up well earlier: “The whole story on both sides sounds a little iffy to me.”