Have Shelters Gone Too Far?

Many people have heard by now that Ellen DeGeneres is wrapped up in a dispute with Mutts and Moms (whose site is down as of this morning) over Iggy, a dog she and her companion adopted. Apparently Ellen signed a contract saying she would provide a home for this pet, etc... She tried, spending an inordinate sum of money acclimating the little dog. When things were not working out, another suitable family offered to take the dog in. As I understand things, according to Ellen's contract with Mutts and Moms families with children under age 14 are not allowed to adopt pets. This is for "the safety of the pet." What?! And how was this age determined, exactly? The family, that of Ellen's hairdresser, has two children ages 11 and 12.

The issue of shelters' strict rules over pet adoption was featured in a local paper earlier this week. While I believe strongly in what these shelters do and I volunteer for an animal rescue group myself, I do think there should be some reasonable limits. These dogs are rescued from kill shelters or the streets and given another chance. While screening is reasonable, this situation with Ellen seems over the top. And why did the police have to get involved to take away a dog? Isn't there real crime to deal with?

I just don't get it... ...And that ends my sound off for today. Have a great one ;)