Ellen Will Keep Quiet on Dog Battle

Posted: 2007-10-19 09:42:13

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 18) - Ellen DeGeneres says she's done talking about her canine dilemma and is pleading for calm, saying on her show that the controversy surrounding an adopted dog has "gotten out of hand."

Photo Gallery: The Story of Iggy

Telepictures Productions / AP

Although Iggy the terrier may not be the first dog Ellen DeGeneres was forced to give away, he certainly made the most headlines. Ellen has currently taken time off from her show to deal with the stress of the situation.

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During a Wednesday taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," to be aired Thursday, DeGeneres told viewers she wouldn't speak again until the dog, Iggy, is returned to DeGeneres' hairdresser and the woman's young daughters.

The dispute erupted last month when DeGeneres and her partner adopted Iggy, a black Brussels Griffon mix terrier. When Iggy wasn't able to get along with DeGeneres' cats, the couple gave the dog to DeGeneres' hairdresser.

Mutts and Moms, the nonprofit dog-rescue organization that originally gave DeGeneres the dog, later took it back, saying the talk show host had violated the adoption agreement by not informing them that she was giving the dog away. That set off a firestorm of nasty e-mails and threats directed at the agency after DeGeneres shared the blow by blow with viewers on her show this week.

"Let me just say this, it's gotten out of hand," DeGeneres said on the segment to air Thursday. "I want nothing, nothing more than that dog returned to that family. But you don't resort to violence. So anybody out there, please stop that. Please don't threaten or do whatever."

The angry calls got so bad that Marina Batkis, co-owner of the dog rescue organization, said she had to close her business and stay home Wednesday, a day after DeGeneres broadcast a tearful, televised plea for the dog to be returned to her hairdresser and the woman's daughters.

"My life is being threatened. This is horrible," a tearful Batkis said outside her home.

DeGeneres has acknowledged she erred but said her hairdresser and her family shouldn't be punished. Batkis has refused to back down.

"If Ellen wants to place dogs and decide what's a good home, then she should start her own rescue group," she told "Inside Edition." "But I'm the one doing this and I know what I'm doing."

DeGeneres said several agencies had offered to provide the family another dog, even one that looked like Iggy.

"And unfortunately, Ruby, the little girl, doesn't want another dog, she wants Iggy," said DeGeneres on the show to air Thursday. "It's not a toy that's broken that you can replace. It's a dog."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2007-10-16 07:34:33

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17767 comments

trevhartz 02:31:51 AM Nov 07 2007

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Ellen wears mens boxers with underneath strap -on.

trevhartz 08:02:52 PM Nov 05 2007

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Ellen lost..not even her Celebrity POWER could over rule.
The dog wins..away for good from Crazy Ellen and Bratty Kid that acts like her.
All in all.. GOOD SHOW FOR THE MUTT LADY WHO SAW ELLEN FOR THE WICKED WITCH SHE REALLY IS.

Gimmemoreyess 06:12:00 AM Nov 05 2007

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Many super rich girls on richsoulmate.com like dogs. Me, too.

limey5286 11:58:58 AM Oct 24 2007

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elln didn't get her way and like so many other spoiled celebrities she had a tantrum because she didn't get her way with things remember she is an actress she waited until she got to work got dressed for the show went to makeup went over the script with the shows director made her entrance and then the tears flowed she didn't get her way so she attacked a innocent person on national tv now this poor woman who runs a dog rescue operation is receiving death threats
BRAVO ELLEN BRAVO

jonmrg2 11:47:15 PM Oct 22 2007

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yawn.

mshonda125 10:54:14 PM Oct 22 2007

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just a dog i think the little girl and family is the people getting hurt.forget about ellens name ,moneyand the adoption people they don't care about feelings

izzyb63 10:48:00 PM Oct 22 2007

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This whole situation with this dog has gotten out of hand. I have two adopted pets from ASPCLA in Long Beach, one is a cat and one dog. When i got my dog I was concerned that it may not get along with the cat, and they screen you and test you if the cat gets along with the dogs or vice versa. I didn't have to pay a fortune to adopt either pet. I was lucky to have found two wonderful pets, they both get along and they both sleep with me.
I know Ellen loves animals but she should have invested more time searching for that dog that will tolerate cats. She didn't have to spend all that money for trainning the dog. It takes time and patience.
The agency should have haddled this situation differently, she should stuff her pride up her ...... and had given this family a chance to be screened and let them keep the dog and see how it would have worked out. The dog seem to be happy with this family so why not make up some new paperwork and get it over with. The agency gave away this dog w

lindaejewell 10:25:04 PM Oct 22 2007

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Before they took Iggy back. They should have interviewed the hairdressers family. If the dog was in a safe environment and loved it should have been left there instead of being given to a third party. Wasn't the dog's welfare what this is all about. If it wasn't being neglected it should have been left alone where it was. What made the third party better than the hairdressers family. It shouldn't have been taken away for the sole reason that Ellen gave it to them.

b101252 10:06:51 PM Oct 22 2007

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i love brussels griffon with green beans

Nacer81 09:38:00 PM Oct 22 2007

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This is the most intelligent comment said.....Wish everyone thought this way!

dave4454sd

First, the pet adoption agency should have informed Ellen that the dog was not acclimated to life with cats/other animals or children or what ever problems the dog had. This was a rescued pet, that means there was some reason this animal was not kept by the original family.

Second, the agency could have investigated the family Ellen gave the dog to before ripping the dog out of the second home.

Third, Ellen should not have violated her agreement with the adoption agency, and then whined about it on tv. She knows what kind of idiots are watching tv, having received death threats herself.

Fouth, Ruby needs to be shown pictures of the thousands of rescued pets that do need good homes, and be told to pick one of those. Then she needs to be shown pictures of the thousands of children left orphaned in Africa because of the AIDS virus and learn that life isn't fair, and not everything works out in y

phoebesmom601 09:35:50 PM Oct 22 2007

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I feel so bad for the rescue. It's obvious people who are commenting have no idea what rescues go through to try and place dogs in good homes.

Nacer81 09:35:00 PM Oct 22 2007

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In response to BILLYPMUSIC, just goes to show a redneck like your ass needs to keep his mouth shut. I'm sure that a dog living with Ellen's hairdresser would be taken care of and loved more than 1/2 the animals in this country. I'm sure your time is coming....PEACE B-P-M

Nacer81 09:35:00 PM Oct 22 2007

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Jermd1990 09:05:02 PM Oct 22 2007

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How can *62%* of people voting on this AOL article think that the WORST PART of the whole so-called "puppy saga" is that Mutts and Moms took the dog away? People were making DEATH THREATS against the owner of the agency!

Christ, people are stupid.