Why We're into Ellen DeGeneres' Iggy the Dog Drama

In America, we are taught from the time we are young that belief in oneself matters. Not just having confidence, but having a true belief that we are in the right. As long as we know that, sheer faith can take us most of the way toward our hopes, dreams, and goals in life. Our steady diet of fairy tales is filled with this notion. If you are good, just, and fair, you get a happy ending.

At a fairly young age, we don't know that being right or being good isn't always enough. The only way to learn otherwise is to experience the extremely painful situation of being disappointed, or experiencing loss, even though we truly believed we were right. This is what's happening to Ruby now, and what is also, perhaps, happening to Ellen.

Most of the time, if we can accurately communicate our feelings to each other, the good/right/best thing does happen. When it becomes clear that this isn't to be the case, emotions get more intense, more raw, in a desperate bid to make other people around us understand. We are trained to believe that if only we are understood, others will agree, or at least be able to see our side.

The bald fact is that some people in this world just don't care how others feel. Often, these people feel that they are the ones doing the right thing. This is the case with the doggie rescue people who feel they're right. On paper, by the letter of the law, they are. Feelings don't seem to come into their adoption process' equation.To an extremely emotional person like Ellen, this must be almost incomprehensible.

Little Iggy is okay, and is living with another new family in his string of new families. Shelter dogs learn to bond with new people quickly. While he'd readily 'belong' to Ruby again if given the chance, Iggy will be very happy with his new people, too, as long as they treat him well. He'll move on much more easily than Ruby will, but she'll be alright in time. She just learned the painful lesson mentioned above. The world is not always a fair place, even if you are a fair person in this world.

Most of us don't have to experience the learning of these lessons in front of camera lights. To me, this is the greatest tragedy of this whole awful situation. Life lessons shouldn't be caught on film to be relived forever and ever. As the memory fades, the emotions calm down and we can see the situation from a different angle. Will Ruby get a chance to gain this distance?

Ellen's meltdown has already become a thing of daytime TV legend. Ruby will probably be hounded in years to come by "What Ever Happened to?" reporters. Iggy will eat, sleep, play, and go for walks. Life will go on, whether there is a happy ending for everyone or not. If we're lucky, we have more happy endings than bad ones.

Over the years, I have learned that most of the time, our crazy blind American belief is, for the most part, justified. People with lackluster resumes get hired because their belief that they should get the job shines through during an interview. We rally around good people to help them in their time of need. Strangers come to help rebuild a city, one home at a time. Goodness and faith usually win. It helps to remember this when something rotten goes down, for no apparent reason, in the life of a good person. Or in the life of a dog.