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DeGeneres in Doghouse Over Pooch Handoff

Tue., Oct. 16, 2007 10:36 AM PDT by Gina Serpe

Ellen DeGeneres has found herself in a doggone dilemma—literally.

The talk-show host is speaking out about a minor lapse in following pet-adoption protocol that resulted in the weekend confiscation of a four-legged friend she had given to her hairdresser.

"I thought I did a good thing," an emotional DeGeneres said on Tuesday's show. "I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn't keep it."

The comedian revealed that she, along with partner Portia de Rossi, had adopted a Brussels Griffon mix named Iggy from the Mutts and Moms Dog Rescue agency on Sept. 20.

Unfortunately, after spending more than $3,000 to have the dog neutered and trained to cohabitate with the couple's cats, DeGeneres said, it was clear Iggy simply had too much energy for the household.

After coming up with what the animal lover believed to be a win-win solution, she presented the pooch to her hairdresser, whose two daughters, ages 11 and 12, immediately bonded with Iggy.

However, a few days later, the host said, the Mutts and Moms Dog Rescue agency phoned her home to follow up on how the dog was adjusting. When DeGeneres told the rep she had given the dog to another home without first notifying them, she was informed she had violated the contract she signed when adopting Iggy.

As a result, a rep from the agency went to the hairdresser's home Sunday night, police in tow, and removed the dog, much to the devastation of the children.

"I guess I signed a piece of paper that says if I can't keep Iggy, it goes back to the rescue organization—which is not someone's home, which is not a family," a teary DeGeneres said on the show. "Because I did it wrong, those people went and took that dog out of their home and took it away from those kids.

"I feel totally responsible for it, and I'm so sorry. I'm begging them to give that dog back to that family. It's not their fault. It's my fault. I shouldn't have given the dog away," she pleaded. "Just please give the dog back to those little girls."

The nonprofit volunteer Mutts and Moms organization has yet to comment on the incident.

As of Tuesday, there was already a grassroots email campaign set up via craigslist.com to boycott the Pasadena-based operation, as well as a counter-campaign reminding all those would-be boycotters that "boycotting Mutts and Moms means you're boycotting the animals."

Meanwhile, the shelter's Website is redirecting users to the search engine petfinder.com.