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"Grey's" star adopts stray dog from Lincoln

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By CINDY LANGE-KUBICK / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 - 01:19:21 am CDT

She wanted a friendly dog for her  co-star.

A dog with lots of personality. A dog with enough energy to go hiking.

A cuddly dog that would be happy at doggy day care while T.R. Knight was busy being cuddly George O’Malley in the ER.

Story Photo
Ebony

So Katherine Heigl, aka Izzy Stevens, the lingerie model turned intern on “Grey’s Anatomy” —  sizzling sex and surgery on ABC every Thursday — called an animal shelter in Nebraska.

The actress and her parents are big supporters of Hearts United for Animals north of Auburn, said Carol Wheeler, one of the shelter’s directors.

Heigl’s dad adopted a schnauzer named Boris from Hearts United a few months ago, and Heigl and her mom both send donations to help support “sanctuary sweethearts,” dogs who live at the shelter but cannot be adopted because of health problems or past abuse.

So when the dog lover from TV-land called two weeks ago, the shelter e-mailed her photos and bios of a dozen canine candidates.

An older lab mix. A German shorthair. A collie mix.

And a puppy named Ebony, a skinny girl with floppy ears standing at attention.

She just got here from the streets of Lincoln. We’d estimate 6 to 7 months and 20 lbs. From the looks of her feet, she’s going to be a good sized girl.

She’s lanky right now but oh, SO pretty. She’s the typical good-natured lab pup. No end of energy, but she can be controlled well. She wants to please.

And before you could say “George looks so adorable in those scrubs,” the dog found wandering the streets near Antelope Park was Hollywood bound.

Ebony flew to L.A.  on a Tuesday morning flight — spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, manicured.

She didn’t sport sunglasses, but she was wearing a “very ladylike pink collar,” Wheeler said.

The shelter director is too busy tending to more than 200 dogs to  watch much television, so she was unaware Izzy and George had recently slept together on prime time.

In the real world, however, she knows they are good friends.

“I believe she wanted to surprise him for his birthday,” she said.

“I think it’s a very good choice.”

Reach Cindy Lange-Kubick at 473-7218 or clangekubick@journalstar.com.


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Love Dogs wrote on April 4, 2007 8:18 am:
" I'm so glad to see that HUA is getting this great press! They are such a wonderful organization. I wish more people knew about them. "
Lindsay wrote on April 4, 2007 8:35 am:
" Congradulations ebony! It's good to see any dog get a good home :-) "
yippee! wrote on April 4, 2007 9:19 am:
" Grey's is my favorite show and dogs are my favorite animal! We are currently looking into adopting a dog from HUA and this was very exciting news indeed! I hope that this press encourages Nebraskans to look to shelters for their animals before buying them from pet stores who charge OUTRAGEOUS prices and usually receive their animals from puppy mills!! "
Furry family of 3 HUA alumni wrote on April 4, 2007 9:36 am:
" We highly recommend you visit www.hua.org to learn more about this fantastic no-kill shelter less than an hour away from Lincoln. Carol, Jennifer, and the whole gang of volunteers are amazing folks who have done and continue to do much, much more than just pick up the occasional stray. "
Tina wrote on April 4, 2007 9:50 am:
" Giving a pet as a surprise gift is a really dumb idea! "
Awesome Story! wrote on April 4, 2007 10:17 am:
" This is wonderful! I agree with Love Dogs...this is great that HUA is getting good press. I love my dog and I got him at the Capital Humane Society. I'd take my little mutt over a high priced purebred any day! My next dog will come from HUA or the Humane Society. "
peb wrote on April 4, 2007 2:48 pm:
" As a volunteer and having 2 of my furry family adopted from HUA, I can attest to how wonderful HUA is. I echo what "yippee!" wrote. Don't buy your puppies from a pet store. After seeing firsthand the dozens of pitiful dogs that HUA rescues from puppy mills in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, I can't stress enough how important it is, at the very least, to see the mothers of the puppies you are buying. "
K. wrote on April 4, 2007 3:09 pm:
" I think what HUA is doing for dogs is amazing. I have visited the shelter and it is obvious how much they care about their animals, but their customer service is horrible. Last year I wanted to adopt a dog from them. I filled out the extensive application, and a few weeks later when I went to follow up they couldn't find it, so I had to fill it out again. It wasn't much of an issue to me, but I started to get really frustrated when I sent email after email and the responses were always very rude and always completely discouraging of my ability to care for a pet. I have raised several dogs and I know it's a challenge and despite their lack of customer service I was doing this for the dog, and not for them, so I didn't give up on them. After asking them multiple times if we could move along in the process and not ever getting a response to my question (just more emails telling me how horrible of an experience it was...they will poop all over your house...can't be crate trained, etc.) I gave up and adopted from the Humane Society, which was a very pleasant experience. I also agree with Tina that giving a pet as a surprise gift is a really bad idea. I know the application for HUA (and any shelter) is very clear on this, but apparently if you are a celebrity they disregard all of their policies and make the process very easy for you. "
Yippee! wrote on April 4, 2007 3:39 pm:
" As I said, I am in the process of working out an adoption with HUA. I am very hopeful that they will be getting back to me in a timely matter. I have two pound puppies already, and at first they are a challenge, but soon, they work their way into your heart and become part of your family!! It looks like Katherine Heigl was able to complete the process in about 2 weeks, along with having the animal flown to LA! Let's hope that this will be as easy of a process for us since we are very excited to add to our family! "
HUA Volunteer wrote on April 4, 2007 4:37 pm:
" HUA is very selective with who gets to adopt one of their dogs. HUA requires a home visit (including celebrities) before any dog is adopted; appropriate fencing; that the dog never be left outside when no one is home; a safe home, yard, garage, basement, to list a few requirements. The Humane Society does not require a home visit. "
Meg wrote on April 4, 2007 5:10 pm:
" That's how the world works today..companies and organizations cater to celebrities...but if it gets their name out there in a positive way, I say go for it. "
Alice wrote on April 4, 2007 8:04 pm:
" I am just so happy that another unwanted animal has found a loving home! Ebony, enjoy your new family! "
doggie mommy wrote on April 4, 2007 8:15 pm:
" I adopted my second dog from HUA and had a fantastic experience. The people there were professional, courteous, friendly, and helpful. I appreciate the care they take in finding quality homes for their animals. I will adopt from them again. "
pups wrote on April 4, 2007 10:27 pm:
" i am glad the dog got a new home and Grey's is the best show! "
Love Dogs wrote on April 5, 2007 9:12 am:
" The people at HUA see the unspeakable conditions in which these dogs come from. It is completely understandable that they fully question potential "forever families". These people dedicate their lives to rescuing abandon, neglected, and abused animals. If you were adopting away one of your dogs, wouldn't you question every aspect of the potential adoptors lives? I certainly know I would. I'm sure HUA didn't mean to question your intelligence as to how to take care of a dog, they were just being thorough. And as for lost paperwork - yes, HUA may be a bit behind in the times (i.e. - everything isn't computerized and digitized) but they have hundreds of animals to care for, so a misplaced application here and there is understandable. Carol and the rest of the HUA family do amazing things. They should be commended for giving their time and energy to such a great cause. CONGRATULATIONS HUA!!! You are truly heroes!!!! "
Pauline wrote on April 5, 2007 10:43 am:
" I am a volunteer at HUA and there are times when I don't know if I can emotionally handle seeing another very severely abused, neglected "one of God's creatures." And I am at HUA two days a month! I can't imagine what it must do to the workers and Carol who see it day after day. Once one of these wonderful creatures have been cared for both physically and emotionally and brought back to "life," HUA is not going to hand them out to just anyone who emails in an application. References are checked, home visits are done, people and other "furry family" members are met--it's a long process to adopt a dog from HUA. With very, very good reasons and results. "
BonnieB wrote on April 6, 2007 2:10 am:
" The wonderful thing re: the puppy that went to George is that he could care less whether G. and Izzy are famous or infamous. He will give back many times over affection and adoration and puppy love that will mature hopefully to a lifelong companionship to George that does not depend on his being famous or being adorable (my opinion) or how much money he has. I wonder how many other friends George has that he can say the same about -- that who he is or what he does or has doesn't matter? This dog he can trust not to betray confidences; not to leak anything to the press (although he may take a leak on George's expensive carpet (hopefully he'll go for the newspaper or the yard). I've been to HUA and am greatly impressed -- how we treat animals is reflective of who we are -- unfortunately, often "dumb" animals are so much kinder than their two-legged owners/captors. I wish I was as loving to my dogs Buster and Champ and cat Junior as they are to me -- and as loyal and absolutely faithful! Kudos to Carol and all the others who care for these little lost creatures who would not otherwise have a chance in their short little lives! "
S wrote on April 9, 2007 1:44 pm:
" Good for Katherine Heigl- at least she uses her influence and celebrity to champion a good cause that she believes in- animal rights. Anyone familiar with her record would be aware that she is an ardent animal rights activist, and giving a dog as a gift to her co star was not a capricious decision. It would be misguided and ill-conceived to assume that Hearts United would ever adopt out a dog without doing the prerequisite home visit and application form. Hearts United goes out of their way to rescue dogs that have been neglected and abused, so it makes sense that they are conscientous about the homes that will ultimately care for these animals for the rest of their lives. This is a commendable set of standards given our culture of nay saying and lack of accountability. Good for Hearts United, and a hearty thank you to Katherine Heigle to selecting a rescue here in Nebraska. "
L wrote on April 10, 2007 11:01 am:
" So, HUA went to Hollywood and did a home check, did they? That would indeed be impressive, since they didn't bother to do anything more than a drive-by when we attempted to adopt from them. Congratulations to Ebony - but I'm sure there were homeless dogs in California who could have used a good home. All of my dogs have come from the Capital Humane Society - I'll cast my vote for CHS any day! "
s wrote on April 11, 2007 1:36 pm:
" HUA has many adopters from all over the country. A trusted member of an area rescue conducts the home visit for HUA. Again, they are a conscientious and accountable rescue with national awards, including a Smithsonian Award. Having said that, The Capital Humane Society is also an excellent organization. Well done you for saving a life and adopting a homeless dog. "

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