Lily Allen has admitted that she sent her adopted puppy back to an animal shelter after it chewed her on children’s passport.
Speaking on her podcast, Miss Me?, the Smile singer said that she and her husband are considering adopting a dog, however recollected a time where the experience did not work out so well.
“You know what, we actually did adopt a dog already, but then it ate my passport and so I took her back to the home,” she said to guest co-host Steve Jones, 47, former presenter of T4.
“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 in Covid and so it was just an absolute logistical nightmare.”
The 39-year-old who now lives in New York with her family said that the incident stopped her children Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 11, from seeing their father, Sam Cooper, who resides in the UK.
“And because the father of my children lives in England, I couldn’t get them back to see their dad for like four months, five months, because this f***ing dog had eaten the passports.
“I just couldn’t look at her. I was like ‘you’ve ruined my life’.”
Whilst the singer did not refer to which dog she was referring to, Allen and her husband David Harbour, of Stranger Things fame, adopted a black puppy called Mary from the New York City-based non-profit Animal Haven in 2021.
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Mary – for whom they made an Instagram account for – also ate other belongings and was overall “a very badly behaved dog”, Allen said.
“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 said on her podcast, which typically hosts with Miquita Oliver.
Despite having a poor experience with Mary, the family are intending to adopt a new pooch, which her daughters have decided to name Jude Bellingham.
Peta, an animal rights charity, has sent Allen an open letter where they said they were “appalled” to hear of her decision regarding the adopted puppy.
It said: “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. 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.
The 39-year-old who now lives in New York with her family said that the incident stopped her children Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 11, from seeing their father
PA
Allen and her husband David Harbour adopted a black puppy called Mary from the New York City-based non-profit Animal Haven in 2021
Getty
“Anyone who knows and loves dogs understands that it’s likely a dog will, at some point, chew up something in the home. 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?
“Dogs should never be treated as accessories to be discarded when they become inconvenient. They are loyal companions who deserve the same unwavering love and commitment they offer us. 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.”
Enraged social media users have slammed the star’s decision, with some insisting that she is “what’s wrong with the world”.
“If ever you needed confirmation that Lily Allen is a truly awful human being it’s her getting rid of her dog because her own stupidity meant she left passports in a place that the dog could get to them,” said one.
Another user chimed in: “Lily Allen is all that’s wrong with the world, got a puppy, used it for likes on Instagram and then sent it back to the home because it chewed up her family passports that she left within its reach. Hopefully this pup found someone who deserves her.”
“This is awful. Lily Allen is a deeply unlikeable woman. If a puppy is “badly behaved” then perhaps she should have trained her. What an awful awful human,” a third user commented.