PETA Accuses Singer-Songwriter Lily Allen of Abandoning Her Dog: "Shame on You"

English singer-songwriter Lily Allen has faced severe backlash on social media following her surprising August 2024 comments about returning her dog, Mary, to an animal shelter after she chewed up her family' s passports.

She described the dog as "very badly behaved" and mentioned that she had "really tried very hard with her, but it just didn't work out." While she probably expected support, the majority of the public criticized her for leaving the passports in reach of the dog.

On Aug. 23, PETA sent a letter to Lily Allen condemning her remarks. Keep scrolling to learn more about this controversy.

What to know about the Lily Allen and PETA controversy.

In its letter, PETA called out the musician for "abandoning her dog" and said they would send her a mechanical dog toy because it's the "only animal" she should bring home.

"While you could get new passports and rebook your flights, Mary may spend many months in the shelter waiting for a new family — if she's lucky enough to find one at all," PETA U.K. vice president Elisa Allen wrote in her letter to Lily. "They should never be treated as accessories to be discarded when they become inconvenient."

In response, Lily posted a lengthy statement on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. She claimed that her comments had been "deliberately distorted" by the media and reported receiving "abhorrent messages, including death threats."

Lily claimed she loved Mary "very much" but the dog developed "pretty severe separation anxiety" and often acted out. "She couldn't be left alone for more than 10 mins ... and after many months and much deliberation, everyone was in agreement that our home wasn't the best fit for Mary," the Grammy nominee said.

Lily then shared that Mary was adopted by someone she knew within 24 hours.

She then slammed PETA for " adding fuel to the fire ," leading the organization to respond by highlighting that Lily had "laughed" about abandoning Mary, which they swore "ruined this poor dog's life."

"Shame on you. You don't deserve even the toy dog we sent you," PETA wrote. Lily clapped back, stating that "people laugh when they talk about painful things all the time."

In the end, she bashed PETA for "perpetuating lies" with their "dangerous" post.