The Other Side of the Ellen Story [Updated]

When Marina Baktis of Mutts & Moms 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. In the aftermath, Ellen's life goes on, as does her nationally syndicated talk show. There will be no Hollywood ending for Marina Batkis.

About three years ago, Marina started Mutts & Moms with her rescue partner, Vanessa. This is a volunteer effort, with Marina, Vanessa and a few hardworking volunteers logging hundreds of hours a month rescuing, caring for and placing homeless animals, answering calls and emails, screening adopters, transporting animals to and from adoptions and vet appointments, and countless other thankless jobs for which they receive nothing but the satisfaction of helping animals in need. If there was ever a sincere definition of a labor of love, this is it. Mutts & Moms gets its name from the organization's primary mission: saving moms left behind to be killed at shelters after their puppies have been adopted. I can hardly think of a more noble purpose for a rescue organization.

As President of Rescue & Humane Alliance-Los Angeles, I spoke to Marina at length this past Friday. Although she appeared on a few news programs and talk shows when the story broke, Marina has not spoken to any reporters since (despite numerous requests), and she has not given any interviews to tell her side of the story. She is understandably having some trust issues with the media that was so eager to cast her as the villain. 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. Mutts & Moms has been forced to close down, her business has been crippled, her life has been threatened, and she has been demonized on national television.

Here is Marina's account of the story as she told it to me:

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 Tasha home for the afternoon to see how she would get along with Elllen's other animals. After the adoption, 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 the adoption, 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, he played in the yard with Ellen's other dog, and was briefly introduced to her cats. No adoption took place, so 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. The family refused to bring the dog back, and although they eventually filled out an application (it was incomplete), 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 with 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? Marina clarified a few things for me.

* It was reported that Ellen never filled out an adoption application, and that there was no home check.

MARINA'S SIDE OF THE STORY: A trusted friend who had adopted to Ellen in the past vouched for Ellen and Portia as being a good home. Since Ellen and 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.

MARINA'S SIDE 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 transferred the dog to Ellen unaltered, in violation of State law.

MARINA'S SIDE OF THE STORY. Iggy was not neutered at the time of his adoption because he was recovering from an upper respiratory illness and was unfit for surgery. This is not illegal, as illness is one of several exceptions to the law as it relates to rescue groups and the requirement that all animals be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. Marina follows up diligently with adopters in these atypical situations to insure the animals are fixed as soon as possible.

___________________________

Mutts & Moms has rescued and placed over 400 animals. Many of those animals were saved from certain death at high-kill shelters. So who is really being punished when this rescue cannot continue its mission? Can anyone truly understand how Marina feels knowing that because of this incident, she can no longer pursue her life's work? Should this be the defining moment of her life, erasing years of tireless work for the animals?

At a time when half of the State of California is burning to the ground and our troops are fighting in Iraq, it is incredible that a puppy adoption in Pasadena is in the national news. Equally incredible is that over 10,000 people, manipulated by the tears of their favorite talk show host, felt compelled to send hate mail to someone they didn't even know about a situation they knew nothing about.

Mutts & Moms still has many animals in its care for which funds are needed. Donations and letters of support may be sent to Mutts & Moms, P.O. Box 50393, Pasadena, California 91115.

Support Marina, or forgive her, but let's end the public portion of this story. Iggy is safe. Nobody died. Fade out.

UPDATE: In response to a number of comments, I have confirmed with the attorney who handles Mutts & Moms' corporate work, that the corporation has been returned to good standing and is no longer suspended. This status will be reflected on the California Secretary of State's website soon (the site is updated weekly).

The corporation was suspended because Mutts & Moms inadvertently neglected to complete and return a Statement of Information, which is a 1-page form required to be filed annually by all California corporations. The form is essentially to confirm/update information about the corporation's address, corporate officers, agent for the service of process, etc. All that was required to cure this situation was completion of the form and payment of a nominal fee.

That being said, I agree that it is important for non-profits, rescue or otherwise, to keep up with their corporate paperwork, regardless of how incidental.

Comments

[LovelyBones]

Bravo Fishic, I could not have said it better myself.
I've enjoyed watching Ellen on occasion, but always sensed she had a mean streak that she took great pains to obscure. In my opinion, this story confirms that suspicion. I just hope others were left with the same impression and angered that she abused her power and the trust she was extended by her audience, to hurt someone for challenging her. I'm sick and tired of corrupt power-plays where the perp assumes the status of victim.

[JohnSmart]

These "rescuers" are nothing but meddling control freaks. This woman took Iggy out of the home where 2 little girls had bonded with the dog. They showed up and took the dog. That is CRAZY. There is no other way to slice it. THey could have left the dog there and said they would follow up. And they could have CALLED for God's sake. Only in the freakish world of women like these two is it okay to arrive at a home and take steal a dog. It happened in the Wizard of Oz. That's their template. THe witch in the wizard of oz. Nice.
These 2 women went way to far. ellen crying has nothing to do with how out of line they were. Will someone PLEASE write something about what happens to a child when 2 stangers show up and take a pet? Iggy is not a person. I so sorry so many lonely sad women think dogs are people. But they are not. I would like to hear from a child therapist about the damage these 2 women may have done to 2 REAL LIVE PEOPLE. People are more important than dogs. Period. end of story.

[Matuskaze Kid]

I can't comment on this blog, because I didn't get beyond these words, from the very first sentence: "only Mutts & Moms could re-home Iggy"
Re-home? Isn't there anyone else who cringed when reading this nonsense word?
I ran "re-home" through Google and found that Microsoft says you are rehoming (the hyphen got lost somewhere in Redmond) when you are "moving public folders from one Exchange server to another." Okay, so the techies found the need for a word to describe a process never described before. I can live with that.
Most of the Google hits, however, show that the word is commonplace among people who, like our blogger, are concerned about something compassionate people have been concerned about for some time: finding new homes for pets. Oops, did I just use plain English to describe what only Mutts & Moms can do for Iggy? If I'd thought a little more, I might have talked about relocating cats and dogs, as people relocate and are relocated, but, there I go again. If our blogger had written in this vein, he could have written "The Other Side of the Ellen Story" without resorting to a single "re-home."
Who was it that advised us to be neither the first nor the last to adopt a new word? My Google search on re-home resulted in 323,000 hits. I figure that as soon as that figure rises to 10,000,000 --and not before--I will begin rehoming.

[Kelie2006]

This is not the first time the media has not printed the full story, only a half truth. Thank you for telling Marina's side of the story.

[bajanbeauty]

"Very telling?" Yeah, they are! To be sure. What's so wrong with what Marina communicated or expected? Her position was clear from the get go and it appears perfectly reasonable. What's so horrible with expecting to meet the new family? It's actually called "follow through." I'm astonished how many posters here feel that the follow up is in essence unnecessary. (What a bunch of sincere rescuers...NOT.) What's so striking about this is that it wasn't until a full month later when Marina hadn't heard from Portia or Ellen and took the time to follow up and send an e-mail inquiring about Iggy, that they even BOTHERED to take the time to fill her in. That's not only disrespectful but blatantly against the terms of the agreement. I love Ellen as a comedian but she should never have handled the situation in such a public manner. It diminishes her. She and Portia were in the wrong and that hairstylist should have just gotten her butt over to Marina's with her kids and gone through the proper process. In all likelihood they would have happily given them tbe dog.

[JohnSmart]

these 2 women TOOK a dog away from 2 little kids. out of the blue. for no GOOD reason. the petulant "contract" aside.
there is simply no reason why a sane person would not have left the dog there and followed up. but anyone who has dealt with "rescue" types knows thay are almost never sane. taking the dog on the spot from 2 kids tells me all i need to know about these 2 "animal lovers" . "human haters" is a better term. Soviet describes their action that night.

[Capybara]

The e-mails posted on Smoking Gun make clear what the family has stated -- they were willing to fill out an application, and they did so. So why does Mutts & Moms send an attorney to Bill O'Reilly to state that the family "flat out" refused to come in and fill out an application? (The same lawyer was also quoted as saying the family would "never. never. never. never. never" get the dog, and that "She doesn"t think this is the type of family that should have the dog," Fink told the AP.) Given that she claims never to have taken this position, her comments now when she realizes how badly she has come across should be taken with a grain of salt.

Why couldn't Mutts & Moms have kept Iggy where he was while they reviewed the application of the family? Why did they demand that the family turn over the dog immediately that morning, when the family had no relationship with them, no contract with them, and had no way to know that Mutts would adequately care for Iggy themselves?

And while Marina offers an explanation why Iggy wasn't neutered, by her explanation Mutts & Moms did not follow the letter of the law. Neither did Mutts & Moms follow their own procedures when dealing with a celebrity -- but they were unwilling to bend even a bit for the benefit of a 12 year old girl. Mutts & Moms insitence on the letter of their contract rights, at the expense of grabbing the dog away from a 12 year old girl, from a perfectly suitable family, leaves one uninclined not to nitpick about each legal failing of Mutts & Moms -- strating with the fact that they are a suspended corporation, unable to enter into the contract they are trying to enforce in the first place.

Look -- I'm sure the organization is a good one overall. But they acted rashly, out of hurt feelings, and acted not in the best interst of the dog, or with any concern at all about a third party family whose only "wrong" was to care for the dog.

[kalapa]

I don't quite understand why the Mutts and Moms has closed down. Is it directly related to the bad publicity or about something else.

However, whatever the reason, Ellen's behaviour is reprehensible as she used her show to bully an organization that didn't have the resources to take her on.

Using her attorney?!! God, that's intimidation.
Never mind the threats and harrassment they received as a result of Ellen's cynical "break down" on TV. Something that I'm sure could have been predicted by any media savvy professional - such as Ellen.

And she has the temerity to come back the next week and spin the story about her crying as a to do about nothing rather than about her blatant attempt to get her way in a dispute where she was clearly WRONG!

I reckon this whole debacle will eventually come back to haunt her. Karma and all that...

Her credibility has just gone down a few notches with me.

[DMSmith]

Let's be clear about something here. Mutts & Moms forced Ellen to honor her contract, while they were in violation of theirs with the state.

Good form kids!! They should be shut down so someone capable of smart decisions can take over.

How dare they force Ellen to comply while they themselves fail to do the same?!?!

[WilliePilgrim]

This piece of baloney is so thin it only needs one side.

[Presson]

http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C2693823

Mutts and Moms remain a suspended entity with the state of California.

[Presson]

What is the status of Mutts and Momas as an entity? I've read that their business had to suspend because it wasn't properly licensed and was not, in fact, a nonprofit registered with the state. According to a state site for regular businesses they had their license suspended the week before Ellen did her show. Were they operating out of state compliance while holding Ellen and Portia to standards they don't uphold themselves?

I do a lot of charity/ volunteer work. Alienating anyone- celebrity,hair dresser, children, other pet others,etc., isn't a good move for the future. Contributions come in from good will and good image promotion. Not keeping the paperwork up is another essential.

Will you do a follow up on Mutts and Moms that checks their integrity?

[wmbear]

BOY, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE ALL THAT CLARIFIED...

Makes it almost sound like one of the Bush/Cheney administration's screw-ups....

[MeMikeYouNot]

...and meanwhile, 3500 US soldiers are dead in Iraq. How about someone rescuing them?

[zeesean]

Goodpoint! Just another example of screwed up
priorities! I find something very obscene about
a celebrity shedding buckets of tears over a little mutt while buckets of human blood keeps on flowing in the street of Baghdad and elsewhere.

[DietrichMoody]

i hope she sues the pants off Ellen Degeneres. Degeneres is not generous but Demanipulative.

Ellen Degeneres knew what she was signing, and she used the power on and of tv, in an aggressive and manipulative manner. Its obscene and unconscionable.

Unfortunately or fortunately this event has put a face on what happens when power meets -"not getting your own way" Most of us who don't get our own way, which is about 50 percent of the time work with it, deal with it and try in the future to better handle , but when someone with Ellen Degereres' power didn't, for something as non life threatening as adopting a dog, she did a "i'll show you" extravaganza. One of the most troubling events is when her assistant called up Mutts for Moms and threatened them, etc. then later the assistant PUBLICLY LIED accusing the other side of what they clearly themselves had done.

I doubt want this to be an accusation for the entire industry or for famous people, not getting their way to resort to pettiness and vindictiveness but unfortunately when your in the public eye and every move you make is being judged , these events seem to overshadow the good that celebrities and people in the public eye do for the rest of humanity. SAD.

[DMSmith]

According to the story Ellen did not sign. Her partner did!!!!

Pay attention folks.

[nanorich]

As someone has had uniformly rotten experience with dog and cat rescue people, after shelling out hundreds of dollars to amateurs who have turned their hobby as pet mavens into tax exempt "agencies," the best lesson of all this is

save yourself a lot of money and trouble and get your animals from municipal shelters...get them fixed....and enjoy them without worrying about what these "rescue rangers" think.

Just because people volunteer for something, and just because they hand you a contract where you sign away all rights of ownership of a pet, doesn't mean these people are virtuous saints...

and ALL rescue groups should probably be avoided, unless THEY can give you a reference.

You are doing them a favor by using their service, which they charge huge amount of money for...

You can save a life, and win a friend by going to the pound.

[whatsamattau]

"You may still disagree with how Marina handled the situation, but that is irrelevant now."

It is not irrelevant. It is, in fact, the heart of the matter.

"it is incredible that a puppy adoption in Pasadena is in the national news."

In which case you should be asking yourself why you wrote this piece.

FMPOV, no one involved in this matter should be proud of their behavior.