Lena Dunham Is in a Back-and-Forth With an Animal Shelter After Rehoming Her Dog
Lena Dunham is under fire from her critics once again, and this time she isn’t backing down. Never one to shy away from discussing tough issues or hot topics — whether she’s posting revealing photos to promote body positivity, shedding light on how women suffer from endometriosis, or simply clapping back at her personal style critics — the Girls creator is now facing some backlash after opening up about rehoming her beloved dog Lamby. Some of the criticism came directly from the shelter where she adopted the pup in January 2013.
Speaking with Yahoo Celebrity, a spokesperson for BARC Shelter in Brooklyn claimed that, contrary to Dunham’s claims in her initial emotional Instagram post, Lamby did not have a long history of abuse. “When she adopted the dog from us, it wasn’t crazy,” Robert Vazquez said, adding that Lamby was owner-surrendered for time reasons with no known history of aggression when he arrived at the shelter.
Dunham responded to the shelter’s claims in a second emotional Instagram post, acknowledging that she and the shelter have “very different account[s]” of Lamby’s past and stating point blank, “While I’m sorry to have disappointed them, I can’t apologize.”
She went on to call the pup’s behavior “unpredictable” and said his issues were “unmanageable” to her, so she took action. “I did what I thought the best mother would do, which was to give him a life that provided for his specific needs,” Dunham wrote. “I was his mom — I was in the best position to discern what those needs were.”
Insisting that she did the best she could, given the situation, the actress noted that she will continue to financially and spiritually support him, and said Lamby is “notably happier in his new surroundings.”
Despite the disagreement, Dunham remains positive about the work BARC does, calling their work “amazing and life saving for these animals.” She admitted, though, that the back-and-forth was hurtful. “I have weathered a lot of micro-scandals but this one hurts MOST, because of the vulnerability of letting people know Lamby and my story, and because I miss him so damn much,” she wrote.
We might never truly know all sides of the story, but one thing we definitely do want to believe is that Lamby is in a happier, better place in his new home.
Have you ever had to make a tough decision with a pet? Tell us @BritandCo.
(Photo via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty)
