by Thoul » Thu Oct 18, '07, 7:45 pm
My understanding is that Degeneres violated a contract regarding the adoption, in that she gave the puppy away without telling the agency. And to top it off, the agency has rules about the age of children in families that adopt, and Degeneres gave it to a family that has children below the allowed ages.
If a common citizen adopted a puppy and then gave it away to a family that would normally not be allowed to adopt that puppy, then the puppy would be taken back. It's a deception on the part of the person doing the adoption. They claim to want the puppy and that they'll take care of it, but they are really just saying that so they can pass the animal off to someone else.
Degeneres should be treated no differently than you or I would. I feel for the little girls that had bonded with the puppy, but giving it back to that family would set a precedent that would make the adoption rules meaningless.
If anyone is at fault here, it is Degeneres for lying when she agreed to keep the puppy.