someone at the grocery store, hair salon, your kid's school or at work give their
uneducated opinion on this matter, you have the facts to talk about this intelligently,
instead of continuing the discussion on an emotionally manipulated media level:
The reputation of all Rescue Groups is at stake here. We all work far too hard on behalf
of those who are the neediest amoungst us to let the tabloids make up people's minds.
The real story is long over-due. This is a lengthy missive. I've pared it down to the salient
points. Here it is:
START Our world, the world of animal guardians, is fundamentally different than the world
in which the majority of humans on the planet live, and there is nothing wrong with that.
But however distant we think our world is from the average human, the world of celebrities
is on another planet, in another galaxy, maybe even in an alternate universe.
When Marina Baktis of Mutts & Moms rescue explained to her celebrity adopters that only
Mutts & Moms could re-home Iggy, and that he needed to be returned immediately, it was
the beginning of a surreal sequence of events that could only happen in Hollywood. What
we need now is a good, old-fashioned Hollywood ending …
RHA-LA was contacted almost immediately for comment, and what I said was this: “There
is only one side in this controversy that concerns me, and that is Iggy’s side. The right
thing to do is always what is best for the animal, and anyone who doesn’t understand that
has no business in animal rescue.”
Of course, no one printed my comment, because none of them understood it. It was a
comment from another world.
Marina very quickly became inaccessible (for obvious reasons), and unfortunately without
knowing the facts, it was extremely difficult to comment on this situation, or help in any
meaningful way. There may have been an opportunity early on for reconciliation, but that
window quickly closed as the parties began to dig in their heels.
For those of you who do not know Marina Baktis, she was a volunteer with LA Animal
Services for many years. She was a constant presence at the North Central shelter to
which anyone at that shelter can attest. As heartbreaking as it was, she chose to volunteer
her time right where all the killing takes place, trying to make a difference. She also
worked with the Bill Foundation (an RHA-LA member).
Day after day she would see litters of puppies with their mothers at the shelter, and watch
as the puppies were adopted and the moms left behind to be killed. About three years
ago, she started Mutts & Moms with her rescue partner, Vanessa, and for the past year
and a half, they have been pulling primarily from the extremely high-kill Kern County
shelters (including pulling for other rescues). The mission of Mutts & Moms is to save as
many of these moms as possible. It’s hard to imagine a more noble cause.
I finally spoke to Marina at length on Friday. I think it’s important that some of the facts be
clarified, as they have been hugely distorted by the media. You may still disagree with how
Marina handled the situation, but that is irrelevant now. She has lost her rescue, her
business has been crippled, her life has been threatened, and she has been demonized
on national television. Those worlds may be lost to her, so we are the world she has left.
Will we stand with her as friends and colleagues, or abandon her?
Please read below before you decide.
Marina’s account of the story:
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi came to Marina’s store in Pasadena and saw a dog
they were interested in adopting. Her name was Tasha.
Tasha had not been cat-tested, and Ellen has two cats, so Marina decided to let them take
the Tasha home for the afternoon to see how she would get along with Elllen’s other
animals. After adoptions, Ellen called to say that Tasha was not cat-friendly, and Marina
left straight away to pick her up. Iggy, who Ellen & Portia had also met and liked at
adoptions, was in the car with her. He had recently been rescued from the Bakersfield
shelter, and was being treated for an upper respiratory infection. That is why he was un-
neutered. They looked at Iggy again, Iggy played in the yard with Ellen’s other dog, and
was briefly introduced to her cats. No adoption took place, and Marina left with both Tasha
and Iggy. That night, Ellen left a message that they had decided to adopt Iggy. She said
they had a trainer who could socialize Iggy with cats. Portia came to the store the next day
to sign the adoption agreement, which Marina explained in detail, including how if there
was ever a problem Iggy would have to be returned to Mutts & Moms. Portia said that she
understood. Marina told her that she would need to bring Iggy back to be neutered when
he was finished with his medication, and she circled the provision stating the same in the
adoption contract. Marina told Portia that the neuter was included in the adoption, but
Portia said they would like to take care of Iggy’s surgery themselves with their own vet.
Portia left the store with Iggy.
There were several email follow-ups, including how Iggy was playing happily with their dog,
not bothering the cats, and how Iggy would be going to their trainer for about a week while
they were moving. Marina followed up a few weeks later. She received a reply from Portia
that they “tried Iggy” and that he was “too much energy and time for them in their brand
new home with so much going on in their lives.” There was no mention of the cats. The
email went on to say that Ellen’s hairstylist and her family had met Iggy, fallen in love, and
that Iggy had been re-homed.
Marina wrote back explaining that this was not acceptable and in violation of her
agreement. She asked that Iggy be returned to the store in Pasadena the next day. She
said that the family needed to fill out an application and go through the adoption process
just like any other adopter. They refused to bring the dog back, and although they
eventually filled out an application, they did not want to go through the process. The
phone calls back-and-forth had become increasingly hostile, eventually leading to a call
from Ellen’s attorney. Marina felt compelled to go to the hairdresser’s home to reclaim
Iggy, at least for the time being.
When she arrived, Marina explained that she would need to take Iggy back until Mutts &
Moms had an opportunity to review their application and discuss the adoption among their
committee. It is important to understand that Marina was still willing to consider the
adoption, and if everyone had been cooperative and non-confrontational, the outcome
might have been different. Instead, the family called 911 saying that someone was there
trying to steal their dog, and as if on cue, a TMZ camera crew appeared to capture the
events on film. When the police arrived, they looked at the contract and determined that
Marina had legal standing to take Iggy back. The next day, Ellen broke down on her show.
The rest is history.
Media Distortions: It is amazing to me that people are so quick to believe everything they
hear in the media (especially the tabloid media). Does it really surprise people that the
media would get it wrong, or distort things for dramatic effect, or withhold the context that
serves to explain what otherwise doesn’t make sense?
It was reported that Ellen never filled out an adoption application, and that there was no
home check.
THE REST OF THE STORY: A trusted friend who had adopted to Ellen in the past
vouched for Ellen & Portia as being a good home. Since Ellen & Portia were in the process
of moving, Marina decided to go ahead with the adoption and do the home check later
when they had moved into the new house. Although she never took a full tour of the
current house, she was there, and it was obvious that Ellen has a beautiful home and that
Iggy would be living the life of Riley there.
It was reported that Mutts & Moms found the hairstylist’s home unsuitable because they
have a rule that they do not adopt small dogs to families with children under 14.
THE REST OF THE STORY: Mutts & Moms never said the home was unsuitable. They
said that the hairstylist needed to fill out an application and be evaluated like any other
adopter. They are wary to adopt small dogs to families with young children, but were
always willing to consider this family. The family did not want to bring the dog back, and
they were not willing to accept any outcome other than their keeping Iggy.
It was reported that Mutts & Moms non-profit corporation is not in good standing, which
among other things was being used as “proof” that Mutts & Moms was not a reputable
organization.
THE REST OF THE STORY: Every year a California corporation must file a Statement of
Information. It costs $25 to file. Marina for whatever reason failed to file it for 2007. It is no
big deal. You just pay a fine and immediately the corporation is returned to good standing.
I’m not a lawyer, but I find it hard to believe that this would negate a contract entered into
during the corporation was not in good standing. The essence of a contract is a meeting
of minds, which obviously occurred.
It was reported that Mutts & Moms transferred the dog to Ellen unaltered, in violation of
State law.
THE REST OF THE STORY: The law provides an exception for animals unfit for
sterilization due to age, illness or injury. In such cases (as was the case with Iggy), a
rescue group can adopt the dog, subject to a spay/neuter deposit of not less than $40
and not more than $75, refundable upon proof of sterilization within 14 days following the
day the dog first becomes fit for sterilization.
While many rescues will place animals under a spay/neuter agreement with a deposit,
RHA-LA feels strongly that regardless of the legality, this practice is unacceptable. Under
NO CIRCUMSTANCES should legal owner/guardianship of an animal occur prior to
spay/neuter, and unaltered animals should NEVER be released to the public (other than to
the organization’s trusted volunteers and fosters) until he/she is fixed. Marina told me that
she has done this maybe 3 or 4 times out of the over 400 placements she has made. She
says she has records of every adoption and that she can confirm that every animal she
has adopted has been spayed/neutered. Nonetheless, I explained to her why RHA-LA
discourages this practice, and she understands and agrees.
Learning from Iggy:
The Rescue & Humane Alliance-Los Angeles was founded to be a bridge. It is a bridge not
only to connect rescue organizations to each other, but also a bridge between rescue
organizations and other worlds outside of rescue --- the world of government, the world of
business, and yes, even the world of celebrities.
We have access to a network of professionals, including attorneys, publicists, lobbyists,
and people at all levels of the entertainment industry. As Members, you should always feel
free to use us as a resource.
If there is a lesson in the aftermath of this Iggy incident, it is that no one who does
responsible rescue should be alone. Mutts & Moms is not a member of RHA-LA, but even
so, we reached out to Mutts & Moms and to the Ellen DeGeneres Show immediately. I truly
believe we could have helped if we had been presented with all the facts in the first 24
hours following the original broadcast.
What we can do now: It is impossible to un-ring a bell. Marina never thought that her
adoption procedures would be analyzed and discussed on CNN by people who know
nothing about rescue. She is devastated that her many years of hard work in animal
rescue have been erased, her compassion questioned, and her reputation irreparably
damaged because she was inexperienced in dealing with celebrities and the media. On a
larger scale, the way the information has been manipulated has led to backlash against
rescue in general. We should take this opportunity to come together as a humane
community, and resist the destructive forces polarizing us and weakening our ability to
help animals in need. It is all too easy for members of the public, and even other rescuers,
to sit in judgment from the comfort of their living rooms.END
