MSNBC has a poll running on its website asking the question...
Should rescue groups reclaim a dog even if the original adopter has found another home for it?
I voted "Yes".
Thus far, I'm in the minority. Out of 8,600 votes cast, 64% of respondents believe that Ellen Degeneres should be free to give away rescue animals to whomever she wants.
That's a scary thought if you're a supporter of animal welfare. Imagine if other people could adopt dogs and cats from a rescue group, and then give them away whomever they want. That's a recipe for dogs and cats winding up on death row in an animal shelter.
Betsy Saul, who founded Petfinder.com, seems to agree. She issued a
press release announcing her take on this matter...
"We understand and sympathize with Ellen and the family to which she gave Iggy. We also realize how important it is for adoption groups to put regulations in place to protect each and every pet that comes into their care. Statistics indicate that over a half million pets who are adopted from shelters and rescue groups land back in a shelter during their lifetime. For this reason, adoption groups put assurances in place to serve as a safety net for their adopted pets -- both at the point of adoption and throughout the pet's life. The upside of this event is that Ellen, Mutts and Moms and the hundreds of people who have emailed and called Petfinder.com about this issue want to see this little dog in the best home possible. If we could ensure that same future for all the pets available on Petfinder.com, our job would be accomplished."
The emphasis in mine.
So what do you think folks? Should we allow people to adopt animals from rescue groups and give them away to anyone they please?
Labels: Dog Rescues, Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres, the celebrity who managed to create a reputation as being compassionate for animals, apparently went emotional on her television show about a dog adoption she was involved in that went wrong.
Television Station WPXI reports...
Ellen DeGeneres recently adopted a dog from a pet rescue agency. The dog is a 4-month-old Brussels Griffon terrier mix, named Iggy. Ellen DeGeneres gave the dog to her hairdresser's family because the dog did not get along with her other pets.
By doing so, though, Ellen DeGeneres violated an agreement with the California agency she adopted Iggy from. The agency has a policy that says small dogs cannot be adopted by families with small children. So the organization took the dog back.
You can read the WPXI's full report, and watch a video of Ellen making her plea...
http://www.wpxi.com/news/14359739/detail.htmlHere's my take.
This is how all rescue adoptions work.
Rescues don't allow anyone to come in, take a dog, and just hand them out to other people. You have a contract promising to care for the dog, as YOUR dog. That's the promise you make.
Rescues exists to make sure homeless animals are care for, not euthanized. They make sure animals are treated well, not mistreated. It's important for them to know who is going care for one of their animals.
Ellen made a mistake with this contract, it was simple mistake, and it doesn't incriminate her. It just makes her human. But these are the same terms of agreement that you and I are also held to.
Question, should we make an exception for Ellen DeGeneres, just because she's Ellen DeGeneres, and just because she cried on television show?
Better yet, should each of us adopt an animal from a rescue group, and give them away to other people? I think you can see my point.
As far as Iggy is concerned, he's not going to have any trouble finding a great new home, now that he's made so much national attention.
Labels: Dog Rescues, Ellen DeGeneres
