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that was some crazy controversy!

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I frankly think that the people from the Foster group have behaved terribly AND if I were in a position to use them, I would keep walking.

The statement has been made that they NEVER place dogs in homes with children under the age of 11, I think thats outrageous. Its clear that Portia and Ellen did all they could to incorporate this dog into their family including paying an enormous amount for training, apparently this dog didn't like cats and nothing could change that.

I don't believe that Ellen would have placed the dog with her hair dressors family had she not been confident it was a good home.

I have adopted animals from foster groups and while they are doing the best they can, it is by no means the ideal situation to have so any animals living in the same place, they don't have enough space nor do they have enough one on one time with a human and that time is SO important to keep them well socialized.

Of course, while this is a sad story, the media is making it seem like a HUGE deal. Its sad that this sells more papers then how many people are dying in Iraq.

I saw the representative from the Foster group on Bill O'Reilly's show. He said the new family was asked ONLLY to come in and fill out an adoption form and go through the process and they could KEEP the dog. They refused to do so. It would have been easily handled if they'd just come in and filled out the adoption forms and tried to do it correctly.

Also, Ellen could have called the rescue organization and just told them the dog wasn't working for her but she had a very nice family who wanted the dog. All this could have been avoided very easily and for Ellen to go on her show and have a meltdown over it (probably to get attention and rating) was the wrong way to handle this situation.

I have worked for rescue groups and because they are tax exempt and take donations, etc, they are subject to many rules and regulations. If they don't follow these, they could lose their tax exempt, non-profit status.

I understand that these two women who run this rescue group have devoted 20 years to rescuing animals and it's a shame that all they've tried to do is probably down the drain because Ellen is spoiled and wants things her own way.

I agree with joanj. The bare-bones fact is that Ellen signed a CONTRACT - a legally binding document - that specifically addressed what should occur if she no longer wanted the dog. Why isn't more being made of THAT fact? In reality, the group would probably be within their legal right to sue her to enforce the SIGNED CONTRACT. Should her celebrity status make her exempt from honoring her contract?

Having been actively involved in rescue for more than 10 years, it's my experience that groups are willing to be flexible under special circumstances, as long as the parties are COOPERATIVE and the group is satisfied that the animal will be cared for. If Ellen had approached the group about the new family, they likely (as joanj says) would have been willing to work with all parties to secure the best outcome for the dog.

The rescue group isn't behaving poorly - they basically want one thing: to secure a permanent home for the dog. They simply want Ellen to comply with the contract she signed and her hairdresser to sign a new agreement in order to facilitate that. For them, it's as much an accounting process as anything - most groups track the numbers of animals accepted and placed. Numbers are used in national compilations by HSUS, ASPCA and others. Many times, groups have to demonstrate their effectiveness (numbers) to qualify for grants and funding. Why is it so out of line to want to accurately track this animal?

For what it's worth, the rules set by rescue groups (no children under a certain age) are generally guidelines for the protection of both the animals and the children. Rescued animals come from all different kinds of situations and may have behavioral and personality issues as a result. The beauty of rescue groups is that they can get to know an animal's quirks and match it to an appropriate living situation. It's probably been their experience that imposing an age limit weeds out adopters who may be inappropriate for other reasons as well. I know our group has certain guidelines about adopting to families with children, but it comes down to the personalities of the animal and the children and the judgement of the fosterer.

The sad fact is that our shelters are over-crowded. Rescuers are overworked. Many of these groups are all-volunteer, which means their work is entirely UNPAID and supported by an individual's OWN MONEY. A public flap like Ellen has made could run a small group into the ground in a hurry.

This situation is VERY unfortunate. At this point, I feel that Ellen and the hairdresser should apologize and publicly make amends with the group. Or the group should sue her for breaking her contract and defamation and slander.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant, but as I said, rescue efforts are near and dear to my heart. I know how hard I and all the other rescuers work, what a shoestring budget we operate on, and that bad press on this scale could do real damage to 20 years worth of hard work, and send that many more animals to be euthanized in over-crowded shelters.

Tbunny, I TOTALLY agree with EVERYTHING you said, from the very first comment: "I agree with joanj. The bare-bones fact is that Ellen signed a CONTRACT - a legally binding document - that specifically addressed what should occur if she no longer wanted the dog. Why isn't more being made of THAT fact? In reality, the group would probably be within their legal right to sue her to enforce the SIGNED CONTRACT. Should her celebrity status make her exempt from honoring her contract?"

Why IS she continuing to make such a big drama over HER WRONGDOING? I don't think her celebrity status should exempt her from following the rules or from disregarding the contract that she signed. I agree that MORE should be made of THAT fact!

Thanks for ALL you do to help abandoned animals! God bless you for your compassion!

Trish

Thanks, Trish. Just to think that all the effort of a group could be undone in the blink of an eye turns my stomach and breaks my heart. Because if it can happen to them, it can happen to any of us.

I know that questionable rescuers, rescue groups with crazy restrictions, hoarders masquerading as rescuers, etc. do exist. But the overwhelming majority of us are quietly and tirelessly going about the business of making life bearable for thousands upon thousands of neglected, abandoned, or unwanted pets. And in reality, the overwhelming majority of ADOPTERS are also honorable and caring. The truth is, I'm sure Ellen was trying to be both of those things. She just went about it poorly and then made an unfortunate situation worse with all the hoopla.

Yes, Tbunny, you are right that the unfortunate situation became worse. It has turned into a theatrical drama with the young girl who lost the dog becoming a "tv reality person", now crying that she doesn't want any 'other' dog, but THAT dog. With so many animals needing to be adopted, it SHOULD be bringing attention to the need to adopt and love rescued animals in the legal, official method that includes the contract to ensure the safety of the animals. Today I heard that Ellen won't be discussing it any further on TV NOW because there have been threats against the woman who adopted the dog.

It just gets crazier. The fact that the contract was NOT honored and has not even been PART of the "hoopla", is a very sad comment about how the truth of the whole story has been reported. There are many GOOD people who adopt homeless animals and the rescue centers they come from ARE staffed by good people, like you, who LOVINGLY care those animals. I have adopted animals and when I signed the contract, I was made aware of what I was supposed to do if I decided not to keep the animals. It is very important that people honor contracts and adoption is serious and those contracts are just as important.

The ONLY good thing about this whole story is that there is now more awareness of where some animals are being abused and bred, in horrible conditions. So maybe something positive will come from all of this and those deplorable places that breed animals for profit might be affected.

Trish

Actually, Ellen's partner signed the agreement, not Ellen. She was unaware of the clause that said she would have to give the dog back if it didn't work out.

She said she was wrong and she was sorry. I don't think it was a stunt or ploy for sympathy or to bend the rules. I think she thought she was doing a good thing by adopting a dog and then finding the dog a better fit.

She didn't sell the dog, so that doesn't jeopardize the agency's non-profit status. All she did was give the dog to a loving family - which is the aim of the rescue group anyway.

I agree that the situation has gotten out of hand, but I think they should just give the dog back to the hairdresser and move on.

If nothing else, maybe at least this will bring attention to the responsibility of having a pet.

Oprah's expert dog trainer was on ET or Access Hollywood tonight saying how unfortunate this whole thing is and how it could have been better handled by all parties. In trying to resolve this, she offered her own services to the rescuer and the hairdresser, to train the dog and advise the family so they can be successfully reunited. To me, that sounds like the best possible resolution.

She also tried to explain that the rules and contracts exist for a reason - to assure that adopted animals aren't sold for fighting, bait, snake food, etc. While the average person probably finds that incomprehensible, to those of us in rescue, situations like that are all too real.

If the general public comes away from this with nothing more than the knowledge that rescue groups require some assurances of the safety of the animals they place, and that pet adoption is a serious commitment, then something positive truly can come out of this fiasco.

Let's hope for all involved they can come to an agreement and move forward.

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