![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hollybrookeNah, not really, I'm not lashing out at Ellen. But this is an issue where I do take a stand on, and I feel the need to make my voice heard about this.
The main reason that this pet rescue group, Moms & Mutts (or whatever the group's name is), is all up in arms about Ellen giving this dog away to her hairdresser's family is that they are exactly what they are: a pet rescue organization. They take pets in and let people adopt them that can give them a better home. They screen applicants much like regular adoption agencies do. I'm not saying that Ellen DeGeneres or Portia DeRossi are unfit "animal parents" or anything like that. The reason Ellen gave this dog to her hairdresser's family is because the dog and her cats didn't mesh well, and she felt that the dog could benefit from being in a better environment. She didn't anticipate that the dog and her cats wouldn't get along, and I understand that. She did what she could to make the situation better for her dog.
HOWEVER...and this is where I jump in...you don't just give up on a pet like that. It's like you've thrown your hands up in the air and said, "I can't handle this anymore, I don't want the responsibility, you take care of it."
This reminds me of the story I heard maybe four years ago or so where Britney Spears sold her old childhood home back in Kentwood, LA with her pet Rottweiler and German Shepherd. THIS IS FACT. There was a news article about this (not a tabloid article!!!), and I wish I had the link for the report. I heard about that, and it disheartened me. It's like she just moved up and forgot about her pets. I'm all about pets, and I've been consistent with having a pet for all 26 years of my life. When my aunt and cousin died, and my grandmother and uncle just decided to move down to Florida/Alabama, guess who got her Rottweilers? We did. She flat-out didn't want them anymore. She didn't want the responsibility; SHE GAVE UP ON HER PETS. (But I won't get too much into that. I just think Grandma Cozie doesn't know how to take care of dogs. That's another story.) There's an episode of "The Simpsons" that comes to mind, "Bart's Dog Gets An F," where they threaten to get rid of Santa's Little Helper if he doesn't straighten up and pass obedience school. Bart sure as hell didn't want to give up on his dog, but Homer and Marge were about ready to.
Lisa: This is our pet. We can question his integrity and disposition, but we can't question his heart. Are you trying to teach us that the way to solve a problem with something we love is to throw it away?
Homer: [weeping] Oh, Lisa. If they're ever going to pull the plug on me, I want you in my corner, honey.
It just makes me think of how much Bo has been acting up lately, and it kills me because neither Mom nor Hunter nor Dad are really isn't doing too much to help him behave like a good dog. Mom bitches that "We've never had a dog that drools like Bo does" or "We've never had a dog that chases his tail like Bo does, I think he's retarded or something" or "Why won't he quit barking?!" And I feel terrible because I'm not home as much as I would like to be to help out with training him.
I understand Ellen's motives in what she did; she just wanted to give the dog a good home, much like the agency does. However, I don't advocate just giving up on a pet because of some problem you have with it. She should've thought about how the dog would've gotten along with her cats before she adopted it.
The main reason that this pet rescue group, Moms & Mutts (or whatever the group's name is), is all up in arms about Ellen giving this dog away to her hairdresser's family is that they are exactly what they are: a pet rescue organization. They take pets in and let people adopt them that can give them a better home. They screen applicants much like regular adoption agencies do. I'm not saying that Ellen DeGeneres or Portia DeRossi are unfit "animal parents" or anything like that. The reason Ellen gave this dog to her hairdresser's family is because the dog and her cats didn't mesh well, and she felt that the dog could benefit from being in a better environment. She didn't anticipate that the dog and her cats wouldn't get along, and I understand that. She did what she could to make the situation better for her dog.
HOWEVER...and this is where I jump in...you don't just give up on a pet like that. It's like you've thrown your hands up in the air and said, "I can't handle this anymore, I don't want the responsibility, you take care of it."
This reminds me of the story I heard maybe four years ago or so where Britney Spears sold her old childhood home back in Kentwood, LA with her pet Rottweiler and German Shepherd. THIS IS FACT. There was a news article about this (not a tabloid article!!!), and I wish I had the link for the report. I heard about that, and it disheartened me. It's like she just moved up and forgot about her pets. I'm all about pets, and I've been consistent with having a pet for all 26 years of my life. When my aunt and cousin died, and my grandmother and uncle just decided to move down to Florida/Alabama, guess who got her Rottweilers? We did. She flat-out didn't want them anymore. She didn't want the responsibility; SHE GAVE UP ON HER PETS. (But I won't get too much into that. I just think Grandma Cozie doesn't know how to take care of dogs. That's another story.) There's an episode of "The Simpsons" that comes to mind, "Bart's Dog Gets An F," where they threaten to get rid of Santa's Little Helper if he doesn't straighten up and pass obedience school. Bart sure as hell didn't want to give up on his dog, but Homer and Marge were about ready to.
Lisa: This is our pet. We can question his integrity and disposition, but we can't question his heart. Are you trying to teach us that the way to solve a problem with something we love is to throw it away?
Homer: [weeping] Oh, Lisa. If they're ever going to pull the plug on me, I want you in my corner, honey.
It just makes me think of how much Bo has been acting up lately, and it kills me because neither Mom nor Hunter nor Dad are really isn't doing too much to help him behave like a good dog. Mom bitches that "We've never had a dog that drools like Bo does" or "We've never had a dog that chases his tail like Bo does, I think he's retarded or something" or "Why won't he quit barking?!" And I feel terrible because I'm not home as much as I would like to be to help out with training him.
I understand Ellen's motives in what she did; she just wanted to give the dog a good home, much like the agency does. However, I don't advocate just giving up on a pet because of some problem you have with it. She should've thought about how the dog would've gotten along with her cats before she adopted it.
