Lily Allen has found herself at the centre of a social media storm after revealing she rehomed a dog, Mary, a black puppy she had rescued from a shelter in 2021. The British singer, known for her no-holds-barred lyrics and candid public persona, admitted that she returned Mary after the dog destroyed several personal items, including her passport, which she described as “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Allen, 39, shared the details in an Instagram post, explaining that Mary had been “very badly behaved” and that the decision to rehome her was not made lightly. “It just didn’t work out,” Allen said. “The passports were the final straw, so to speak.”
However, her remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with many fans and animal lovers expressing disappointment. Among the most vocal critics was PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which publicly condemned Allen’s decision. The organisation accused her of prioritising convenience over the well-being of the dog, saying in an open letter to Allen: “While you could get new passports and rebook your flights, Mary may spend many months in the shelter waiting for a new family – if she’s lucky enough to find one at all.”
Allen responded to PETA’s criticism in an X reply, where she has over 5 million followers. “Also thank you to PETA for adding fuel to the fire. Very responsible of you,” she wrote sarcastically. PETA’s account then fired back with a pointed response: “YOU laughed when speaking about abandoning Mary and ruined this poor dog’s life. She thought she had a loving forever home before you tossed her out, calling her ‘that f******* dog’ who ‘ruined my life.’ Shame on you. You don’t deserve even the toy dog we sent you.”
People laugh when they talk about painful things all the time, it’s quite normal. I’ve clarified that we didn’t abandon her and that she was rehomed with people we knew almost immediately. Why are you perpetuating lies ? What kind of animal welfare charity tries to shame someone… https://t.co/SLORFjFauN
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) August 26, 2024
Responding to the criticism that Allen appeared to laugh when recounting the events on the podcast, the singer posted: “People laugh when they talk about painful things all the time, it’s quite normal. I’ve clarified that we didn’t abandon her and that she was rehomed with people we knew almost immediately.” Allen wrote. “Why are you perpetuating lies? What kind of animal welfare charity tries to shame someone for wanting to improve the welfare of an animal. Your post is dangerous.”
“We rescued our puppy Mary from a shelter in NY and we loved her very much, But she developed pretty severe separation anxiety and would act out in all manner of ways. She couldn’t be left alone for more than 10 minutes, she had 3 long walks a day 2 by us and 1 with a local dog walker and several other dogs, we worked with the shelter that we rescued her from and they referred us to a behavioural specialist and a professional trainer,” Allen’s post continues. “It was a volunteer from the shelter who would come and dog sit her when we were away, and after many months and much deliberation everyone was in agreement that our home wasn’t the best fit for Mary.”
