The recent publicity over Ellen DeGeneres and the dog she didn't want is a good example of how one bad decision can lead to another.

The first mistake was when Ellen failed to read the agreement she signed when adopting the Brussels Griffon terrier mix named Iggy.

Second was when she violated the rules of the adoption agency and gave the dog away without letting anyone know about it.

The third mistake was when officials from the adoption agency took back the dog after Ellen had given it to her hairdresser's family.

Fourth -- and most appalling -- is that, according to the Associated Press this morning, the owners of the dog agency, Mutts and Moms, have been receiving death threats from the angry public.

And I also read where the dog agency is refusing to return the animal to the hairdresser because their policy states that small dogs cannot be adopted by families with children under the age of 14 "for the protection of the dog."

Oh my! How does one begin to sort out this mess?

First of all, I think Ellen needs to make wiser choices in selecting dogs to adopt, and secondly, understand that rules are rules. She should have notified the adoption agency, period.

As for the adoption agency: I think they need to revise their policies. I understand that they want to keep track of animals once they leave the safety of the shelter, but I am concerned that they may be exercising a little too much control. If you trust an individual or family enough to let them adopt an animal, then you should trust them enough to make the right decision for the animal in the future. It's their lives. Stay out. It all sound a little too "Big Brother" to me.

Finally, to those members of the public who have threatened to kill the owners of the adoption agency or burn their facility to the ground: Shame. Shame. Shame.

Unfortunately this brings to mind something that happened not so long ago in this town, and it involves changing the names of Christmas and Easter on the city's holiday schedule for employees.

Once the news broke, angry citizens voiced their opinions about the city councilmen who supported the change, and according to those councilmen, went as far as to threaten life and limb.

I can't believe human beings can behave so shamefully toward other human beings. It's like the anti-abortionists who threaten to burn down the clinics where these procedures are performed.

Your opinions cease to be important once you cross this line. You have become the one in the wrong. You are the one to be scorned.

In both the dog case and the holiday case, I think tempers are soothed if you just keep everything in perspective.

It's just a dog.

It's just a title.

Calm down.