In a recent episode of her podcast Miss Me?, singer Lily Allen opened up about a canine conundrum that left her in a doghouse of her own making.
The 39-year-old British star revealed that she had adopted a rescue dog during the pandemic, only to return the pup after a series of mishaps culminated in a passport-eating incident. Allen, who lives in the U.S. with her husband, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, explained that the adopted pooch had been “very badly behaved” from the start. However, it was the mindless destruction of these crucial documents that was the final straw.
“She ate all three of our passports, and they had our visas in.”
The timing couldn’t have been worse, as the incident occurred during the height of COVID-19 restrictions. “I cannot tell you how much money it cost me to get everything replaced because it was in COVID. And so it was just an absolute logistical nightmare,” she added.
The passport predicament had far-reaching consequences for Allen’s family. With her ex-husband Sam Cooper living in England, the loss of travel documents meant her daughters, Ethel and Marnie, were unable to visit their father for several months. This separation clearly weighed heavily on Allen, who admitted to telling the dog, “You ruined my life.” Following the ordeal, Allen made the “difficult” decision to return the dog to the shelter. “I just couldn’t look at her,” she confessed, explaining that the passport incident was the culmination of ongoing behavioral issues.
However, Allen’s admission about rehoming the dog has not been without backlash.
And before you knew it, the animal rights organization PETA had also inserted itself into the mix and responded to the singer’s story. To drive the point home, the charity sent Allen a mechanical toy dog, along with a letter suggesting it was “the only animal you should bring into your home.”
PETA’s representative, Elisa Allen, didn’t mince words in her critique of the singer’s actions. “Dogs should never be treated as accessories to be discarded when they become inconvenient,” she wrote, highlighting the responsibility that comes with pet ownership.
Despite the controversy, Allen seems undeterred in her desire for canine companionship. She shared on the podcast that her family is considering adopting a Chihuahua mix in the near future. Her daughters have already picked out a name for the potential new family member: Jude Bellingham, presumably after the English footballer.
The public revelation about her last dog and the future plans for a new one did not sit well with the masses.
For Allen, laughing while recounting how she brought a living being into her house, gave him a family, and then crudely snatched it from him might be a light-hearted topic of discussion, but for the countless humans with a heart? Well, let’s just say that the actress will be watched very closely, with zero trust, if she manages to bamboozle some other shelter after this blow out and brings another blindly trusting puppy into her life. Do better next time, Mrs Allen, if you get the chance.