Rescue group finds new home for Iggy
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Mutts and Moms doesn’t believe hairdresser’s family is right for pooch
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Under the Mutts and Moms contract agreement (section 3H discusses the “NO RIGHT TO TRANSFER”), which Access obtained a copy of, anyone accepting a dog agrees to “NOT give or sell ADOPTEE to another person, company, organization, medical research, pound or animal shelter,” or, “If ADOPTER fails to abide by the terms of this clause, ADOPTER will pay all costs, including any legal fees incurred, required to secure the return of ADOPTEE to RESCUE and will, in addition, be required to pay liquidated damages in the amount of $500.”
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21336607/
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PR Newswire - Press Release Petfinder.com Co-Founder Betsy Saul Responds to Ellen DeGeneres Pet Adoption Controversy 10.17.07, 11:17 AM ET
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I think looking over the legal agreement Portia and Ellen signed says it all, and I also think that it is the end of the discussion. Ellen admitted she made a poor judgment in trying to adopt, and keep, a dog, but it was compounded by sidestepping the agreement with the adoption agency.
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It sounds like - from what I've been reading ("Mutts and Mom's" web site is down at the moment) - "Mutts and Mom's" is a 'No Kill' center, so I don't understand why Ellen would be so resistant in simply returning the dog to them?
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Was the hairdresser friend that Ellen gave Iggy to in reality keeping Iggy for Ellen in their home instead of Ellen's who then had visitation rights? Did Ellen see an opportunity to still keep Iggy, but just couldn't live in the same house with him? AND then that would be the real reason why she was resistent to taking Iggy back to "Mutts and Mom's" because she would then have to REALLY give Iggy up? (Especially after investing so much money and time into little Iggy?)
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ALTHOUGH CUTE AS THEY CAN BE - PUPPIES ARE ALWAYS TIME CONSUMING AND A CHALLENGE. THEY ARE ALSO A NEVER ENDING BALL OF ENERGY.
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FYI: Cats CAN get used to dogs after a time after they resign themselves to the new family member. I've seen cats actually like, and play with, their puppy family members. But it can take a bit for a cat to actually accept - and warm up to - the idea of a puppy family member. (Maybe Iggy and the cats were just not given enough time to adjust, and accept, to each other. It is not something that can be forced or rushed with cats.)
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HOW MANY TIMES DO PEOPLE SIGN STUFF, AND DON'T READ - OR FULLY READ - WHAT THEY ARE SIGNING? How normal is this for people? I'm guilty of it myself.
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It's always hard to have to admit to a mistake in adopting a pet, and then to have to return the pet to the adoption agency.
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I adopted a pet - dog - from the ASPCA some years ago. His name was Yogi Magee. I liked him a lot, and it hurt me terribly - and still does when I think about him - that I had to take him back to the ASPCA, because I found I couldn't keep him. He was an older dog, didn't care much for men - I have a husband - and had urinary troubles with peeing - possibly marking - around my apartment. He didn't really care much for being alone either, and was a bit of a barker - to my landlord's dismay. I was under a bit of stress at the time, and thought that I needed a companion. I learned - to my dismay - it was not the right time for me to adopt a new pet. I had to take him back.
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So I can relate to Ellen's plight.
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How many people have tried to adopt a pet - or give a pet - for someone else, and it turned out to be a bigger mistake. (I have learned to never give, or get, a pet for someone else after a mistake I made some years ago in doing that.)
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It's time for Portia and Ellen to face that mistake, and accept responsibility.
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It is not "Mutts And Mom's" fault.
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Death and arson threats people?
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Maybe "Mutts and Mom's" could of been less hardhearted and to the letter of the contract, and maybe could of handled it better. This definitely did not help them with publicity which is unfortunate.
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I have been inspired with the thought recently that maybe in asserting in being 'Right' isn't always the best way to handle things.
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Hopefully Ellen will see how this problem is being compounded in a very not so good way.
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Note:
Petfinder Statement:
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Mutts and Mom has chosen to temporarily inactivate their website on Petfinder.com because their email inbox and voice mail are overwhelmed. Petfinder has 11,000 shelters and rescue groups posting over 260,000 pets that need homes. We do not dictate the adoption policies of our members. We do work with them to educate their volunteers and hope to professionalize the industry as a whole, providing a positive experience for adopters. Petfinder advocates for all parties: the pets, the adopters, and the shelter and rescue group workers and volunteers.
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http://www.petfinder.com/statement.html