Iggy, the puppy who was at the center of the high-profile custody showdown between Ellen DeGeneres and rescue agency Mutts & Moms, appears in a new public service announcement about animal adoption.
“Entertainment Tonight” visited Iggy on the set of the new PSA and spoke to Mutts & Moms attorney Keith A. Fink, who said the dog is doing “famously well” in his new home.
Fink would not reveal specifics about the 5-month-old Affenpinscher mix’s new home “for the safety of the adoptive family,” but stressed that Iggy had been placed “with a family that is loving and takes great care of him.”
Iggy found himself in the middle of a media maelstrom last month when DeGeneres gave the dog, who had been adopted from Pasadena, Calif.-based Mutts & Moms, to her hairstylist’s family.
The move violated a signed adoption agreement, which was released to the media and stated that the adopter agrees to “not give or sell adoptee to another person, company, organization, medical research, pound or animal shelter.”
DeGeneres admitted she had made a mistake in giving away Iggy but insisted he should remain with the new family, which included two young daughters. Mutts & Moms co-founder Marina Baktis disagreed, and removed the dog from the hairstylist’s home. DeGeneres went on her TV show to plead for his return, sparking several death threats against Baktis.
Meanwhile, the family who was forced to give up Iggy is also speaking out. “Iggy appears well-groomed and cared for” in the PSA, said Gordon, whose daughter, Ruby, also made a teary televised plea for the dog’s return. (Their last name is being withheld.) “But we would like people to remember that Iggy was first very happy in our home, too.”