QandAs: Buzz

What's the deal with Ellen and that dog?

Answer:
Ellen Degeneres adopted a dog from an L.A. animal

rescue group last month. When the dog, named Iggy, didn't get along with Ellen's housecat, the actress gave the puppy to her hairdresser.

While that action might seem perfectly reasonable, the contract Ellen signed when she adopted the dog stipulated that if the dog didn't fit in with her household, she must return the animal to the rescue shelter. Such stipulations are commonplace in animal rescue policies across the nation and are meant to ensure that the animal goes to an appropriate home.

The animal rescue group took the dog back into its custody when it learned that Ellen had violated the contract. On her show earlier this week, Ellen broke down on her daytime talk show, pleading with the rescue group to return the dog to the hairdresser and her young children. The comedian took full responsibility, saying it was her mistake - not the hairdresser's.

The dispute has become talk show fodder all week, and Ellen is now saying she's not going to talk about it again until the dog is returned to her hairdresser.

This issue is all the more prickly in Los Angeles, where people tend to spend more time and attention on the trials and tribulations of pets than they do on those of their fellow human beings.