Lena Dunham's Dog Wasn't Abused Despite Star's Claim, Shelter Says

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — An animal shelter in Brooklyn called Lena Dunham a doggone liar, according to reports.

The “Girls” creator recently returned a dog, which she adopted from a Williamsburg no-kill shelter, to another Los Angeles facility and cited the pup’s traumatic history as the reason.

“Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others,” Dunham wrote on Instagram in June. “Sometimes when you love something you have to let it go.”

A lot of you have been asking where Lamby is these days since he's always been the star of my gram and I've been posting pics of my poodle girls. Well, you know honesty is my jam but this one has been really heartbreaking to talk about. But I feel I have to share that last March, after four years of challenging behavior and aggression that could not be treated with training or medication or consistent loving dog ownership, Lamby went to live at an amazing professional facility in Los Angeles @matt_thezendog where an awesome person named @therealdanishay (who is educated in a rescue dog's specific trauma) loves him so hard. Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others- we needed to be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and especially our beloved boy. Jack and I will miss him forever but sometimes when you love something you have to let it go (especially when it requires tetanus shots and stitches.) Someday I'll really write about the pain and relief of letting Lamby go off and really be Lamby, biting and peeing in his own mouth and all. There were so many lessons in it, about forgiving myself and loving with an open palm and giving in to a larger plan. Shout out to @jennikonner for listening to endless hours of Lamby pain, and especially my partner @jackantonoff for loving him even when he ruined floors and couches and our life. Jack knows what Lamby means to me and he let me come to the decision in my own time even when it made his days challenging. Susan & Karen will never be my first loves, but they are fuzzy and hilarious stuffing for the hole Lamby left and we cherish them deeply #lamby #thefirstcutisthedeepest #foreverlamb PS If you have a similar situation, please know its possible to responsibly re-home your rescue rather than sending them back into the shelter system. It can require patience, diligence and often a financial contribution but there are solutions that leave everyone happy and safe. You will always have been your dog's first stop outside shelter life and that's beautiful.
A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Jun 20, 2017 at 9:33pm PDT

Dunham wrote that Lamby’s behavior wreaked havoc on Dunham and her boyfriend, Jack Antonoff — whom she credited “for loving him even when he ruined floors and couches and our life” — with behavior that included “biting and peeing in his own mouth.”

Dunham added that Lamby had been given to L.A. specialists who would be better equipped to care for a dog suffering from former abuse.

But Lamby didn’t suffer from abuse before he was adopted by Dunham, a representative from the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition told Yahoo! in an email.

“If the dog was abused,” said spokesperson Robert Vazquez, “it wouldn’t be cuddling with her or be in the bed with her ‘boyfriend’ in the pages of Vogue.”

Vazquez disputed several of Dunham's claims — that Lamby had a history of his aggression and that he had been passed from owner to owner — and argued he never would have paired a high-profile celebrity with a dog that needed special care.

"Do you think BARC would have adopted him to Lena knowing she’s a new star and put her — or the dog — in that situation?" wrote Vazquez. "When she adopted the dog from us, it wasn’t crazy.”

Vazquez' account of Lamby's behavior was later confirmed by BARC founder and director Vincent Spinola, who posted a response on Facebook Friday afternoon.

“Actually, the dog became a favorite of our staff and volunteers during his stay here,” wrote Vincent Spinola. “There were no signs of bad temperament or any kind of aggression.”

Spinola added that BARC staff tried to check how the pair were getting on after Lamby was adopted, but Dunhem never responded to their messages.

Dunham replied to Vazquez' statement with another Instagram post on Thursday night that accused the BARC representative of "willfully misunderstanding the truth.”

“Why should this story be subject to scrutiny and anger? Wrote Dunham. “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.”

It's come to my attention that the staff at the shelter where I adopted Lamby have a very different account of his early life and behavioral issues than I do. While I'm sorry to have disappointed them, I can't apologize. Lamby was and is one of the great loves of my life. When I met him I knew we'd have an amazing journey. But his aggression - which was unpredictable- and his particular issues, which remain myriad, weren't manageable, at least not by me. I did what I thought the best mother would do, which was to give him a life that provided for his specific needs. He'd been with me for nearly four years and I was his mom- I was in the best position to discern what those needs were. After countless hours of training, endless financial support and a lot of tears he was given access to a better life. I still support him financially and I'll always be there for him in every way but he's notably happier in his new surroundings. Why should this story be subject to scrutiny and anger? It is willfully misunderstanding the truth. I hope those judging can imagine the incredible pain of letting go of your favorite creature on EARTH because you know you can't help them be healthy and happy. I would never say an unkind word about the staff of BARC, what they do is amazing and life saving for these animals- but we have different accounts of Lamby's behavior and they were not present in my home nor did they live with him for an extended period. They did not witness the consistent and responsible care I provided. 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. This is the painting that greets me every day when I walk into my home. This is the animal who taught me about loving and letting go. I know I'm a lot of fun to place your issues on, but I won't let anyone hang their hat on this peg. Not this time.
A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Jul 6, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

Photo courtesy of David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons