Lena Dunham describes painful decision to re-home her dog in emotional Instagram post
Lena Dunham's beloved, Insta-famous dog Lamby has brought joy to myriad dog-lovers on the internet. Sadly, the Girls creator recently found a new home for Lamby due to "behavioural issues".
Dunham posted an emotional response to the animal shelter where she adopted Lamby, which had said she lied about her reasons for re-homing the dog. She stated this is the most hurtful "micro-scandal" she's weathered.
"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 behavioural issues than I do," wrote Dunham.
But, her post wasn't an attempt to justify her decision.
"While I'm sorry to have disappointed them, I can't apologise. Lamby was and is one of the great loves of my life. When I met him I knew we'd have an amazing journey," she wrote.
"But his aggression -- which was unpredictable -- and his particular issues, which remain myriad, weren't manageable, at least not by me," Dunham continued.
Dunham's Instagram post is a response to a statement from the shelter where Dunham adopted Lamby back in 2013, which claims that Dunham lied about Lamby's past.
A spokesperson for BARC Shelter in Brooklyn, New York issued a statement on Thursday stating that Lamby didn't have a long history of abuse.
"We checked the records for Lamby,” BARC employee Robert Vazquez told Yahoo Celebrity via email. "He was ‘owner surrendered, not enough time,’ so we do not know where she got ‘multiple owners that abused the dog.'"
Dunham said she did what she thought "the best mother would do," which was to give him a life "that provided for his specific needs".
"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," she wrote.
Dunham then addressed the anger she's been subjected to over her decision to re-home him.
"Why should this story be subject to scrutiny and anger? It is wilfully misunderstanding the truth. I hope those judging can imagine the incredible pain of letting go of your favourite creature on EARTH because you know you can't help them be healthy and happy," she wrote.
She added that she's "weathered a lot of micro-scandals" but this one "hurts MOST" because she misses Lamby "so damn much".
"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," she continued.
Topics Instagram Celebrities
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
