Lily Allen has fired back at PETA after they sent her a brutal gift when they learned that she returned her dog because it ate her passport.
The 39-year-old singer has been at the center of controversy after she revealed in an episode of her podcast, Miss Me? that she and her husband, David Harbour, were planning to adopt a Chihuahua mix puppy.
When the co-host, Steve Jones, asked Allen if she was ready for that commitment, she responded by disclosing that she and the Stranger Things star already adopted a puppy together during the pandemic - but it didn’t exactly go well.
"She ate all three of our passports and they had our visas in. And I cannot tell you how much money it cost me to get everything replaced, because it was Covid so it was just an absolute logistical nightmare," she said, as cited by BuzzFeed.
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The 'Smile' singer said her daughters, 12-year-old Ethel, and 11-year-old Marnie, were not able to see their father, Sam Cooper, for months after the dog ruined the passports because he lives in the UK, and they live in New York with their mom.
"And because the father of my children lives in England, I couldn't take them back to see their dad for like four months, five months, because this f***ing dog had eaten the passports," she said, adding: "And I just couldn't look at her...I was like 'You've ruined my life.'"
She then explained that it was not only the incident that led to her decision to return the dog, revealing that the pup behaved poorly in general.
“Passports weren’t the only thing she ate, she was a very badly behaved dog and I really tried very hard with her, but it just didn’t work out and the passports were the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak,” she concluded.
Allen's revelation generated some backlash on social media from online users as well as the animal charity PETA, who decided to send her a mechanical dog.
Elisa Allen, the Vice President of Programmes at PETA, penned a scalding letter to the 'Hard Out Here' singer to go along with the gift, writing: "We were appalled when we heard you say that you returned your adopted dog, Mary, to the shelter because she chewed your family’s passports."
"Dogs often explore the world by putting things in their mouths – it’s natural! Couldn’t you have put your important documents in a drawer?" the charity questioned, adding, "Dogs should never be treated as accessories to be discarded when they become inconvenient."
"It’s for this reason that we beg you, please, not to get another dog. Instead, we’re sending you a mechanical toy puppy, which requires none of the care, patience, or commitment that a real one does. It really is the only animal you should bring into your home," they concluded.
The 'LDN' singer hit back at PETA in a lengthy statement shared on X, arguing that her quotes had been "deliberately distorted" by the media, and saying she has received "abhorrent messages including death threats".
She then clarified that Mary was rehomed with a person known to her within 24 hours of being returned.
"I've had rescue dogs pretty consistently throughout my life since I was 4 years old, I'm pretty good at ascertaining a dogs needs, I have never been accused of mistreating an animal, and I've found this whole week very distressing," she added.
The Grammy nominee then directly tagged the organization on the platform, saying: "Also thank you to @peta for adding fuel to the fire. Very responsible of you."
The animal charity did not appear satisfied by her lengthy statement as they responded that she "laughed when speaking about abandoning Mary and ruined this poor dog’s life," and said: "She thought she had a loving forever home before you tossed her out, calling her 'that f******* dog' who 'ruined my life.'"
They then penned that she doesn't deserve "the toy dog we sent you," which prompted another response from the singer, who shot back that "people laugh when they talk about painful things all the time" and slammed PETA for "perpetuating lies" with its "dangerous" post.
"What kind of animal welfare charity tries to shame someone for wanting to [improve] the welfare of an animal," she blasted.
The charity ended the fiery exchange by noting that Allen needs to be mindful of what she says on her platforms as a high-profile figure.
"Laughing about this 'f******' dog being sent back sends a dangerous message," they reiterated. "Every move is traumatic to a homeless dog who then can never expect this home is forever."
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