This is absolutely heartbreaking.
Earlier this week, Los Angeles-based dog rescue, The Labelle Foundation, accused model Annie Marie of causing the death of three of their foster puppies. Now, the model is fighting back against the high-profile organization, slamming them for animal cruelty — and she’s got receipts!!
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The ordeal first hit the internet over the weekend when Annie posted a series of photos of a fluffy white puppy named Bubbles on her Instagram. In her caption, it was clear that something terrible had occurred, though she wasn’t quite ready to speak on it. Take a look:
On the same day, The Labelle Foundation also took to their account to announce the death of Bubbles, as well as two other dogs who had once been in the star’s care. And not only did they name-drop the foster dog parent, but they BLAMED her for the three pups’ deaths! Their IG account is now private, but here’s their full caption (below):
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our three angels, Joy, Mirth, & Euphoria alongside defamatory stories slandering our work, however we feel the need to address it.
On November 10th we were asked to take 3 Maltese puppies from the shelter. We took these sweet puppies & upon their arrival they were obviously not normal – all 3 displayed symptoms of neurological issues. We knew they could possibly have distemper or a congenital issue. We sent them directly to our vet for testing, they tested negative for distemper & all blood work was normal.
We decided to send them to foster to see how they would do. They seemed great in the care of Annie, but she couldn’t keep them all over the holiday so she returned 2 pups who went to another foster & kept 1. Within 24 hours both puppies severely declined so we sent them to the hospital where one died immediately & the other we struggled for days to keep stable. Once the puppy was deemed stable our vet asked that we take her home and continue round the clock care.
Annie insisted on caring for the puppy she called Blossom. Instead of communicating to us that the puppy was declining again, Annie reached out to other rescues & brought the puppy to them to try to save it at home. The puppy died several hours later. Then the other puppy she called Bubbles started showing “slight” symptoms I’m told. Next thing I know Annie has driven my sick puppy 2 hours away to a rescue who turned her away. Horrified, I begged and paid my hospital to wait for her to arrive 2 hours after they closed. The puppy was in horrible shape and we tried to stabilize but, like the others it passed.
We have total transparency, vet bills, vets, vet techs to back this all up. Annie and Devon are spreading false lies that we did not try to help these puppies, when the truth is we did everything we could have, and always will for dogs in need. We save around 200 dogs a month and take in sick and injured dogs everyday. We will not stand for defamation and slander when it comes at the expense of our dogs. We are shocked and disappointed by these influencers that are misusing their platforms in attempt to cancel a dog rescue.”
Ready to defend herself, Annie Marie quickly took a screenshot of the caption and circled one particular paragraph which explained how she brought the puppy to a separate rescue to try to “save it at home” and that the poor animal died “several hours later.” She alleged:
“Alright so this is a lie”
She then uploaded a lengthy post to detail her side of the story, and it is incredibly sad. According to the model, on November 16, she began fostering three special needs puppies. She was told they all had “neurological problems and low glucose levels, but were otherwise doing fine.” That was very wrong.
After one week, she had to return two of the puppies, Buttercup and Blossom, so that Bubbles could have her full attention. One week after leaving her care, Buttercup tragically passed away “while at the veterinarian.” This vet was said to have been the only one foster parents were allowed to use, though it is “not a 24 hour facility nor is it equipped to fully handle specialty care” – an important factor in this case.
Later learning of Buttercup’s death, Annie requested Bubbles get a vet check-up “out of fear for her health,” but her request was declined by Labelle. Days later, co-founder Sabrina Labelle “requested” that she take Blossom back into her care because she didn’t “trust her with anyone else.” Annie agreed and picked up Blossom on December 4. Blossom’s health was deteriorating and she needed to be injected with “fluid syringes,” which the foster momma was given despite “never receiving any training or guidance on how to do so,” as she continued:
“Blossom was clearly in decline. She was squealing in pain, oozing blood from her anus, grinding her teeth, and her eyes would roll back into her head.”
Poor pup!! Even with all this info, The Labelle Foundation allegedly did NOTHING. Annie was desperate to take the dog to a vet, but because the incident took place at 6 p.m., the one vet she was allowed to use had already closed at 5 p.m. and wouldn’t reopen until 9 the next morning. One of the foundation’s co-owners texted Annie to say:
“I don’t know what the vets can do”
Annie was also told that the foundation would not pay for vet bills from any other medical facility! WTF?! Annie decided to go anyway, with an emergency vet suspecting Distemper. The owners admitted that one puppy had tested positive for distemper five weeks prior and they hadn’t done more testing on any of the dogs since. Blossom was suffering so badly, it appeared it was time for her to be euthanized, but Annie was told to wait. The model did involve a special needs animal rescue group at this time, but despite their help, Blossom died on December 5. Yes, all of this drama happened in ONE DAY — that’s how severe this animal’s condition was!
And it only gets worse…
Bubbles, the sweet face pictured above, grew lethargic. Labelle allegedly wanted her to go to the same rescue that stepped in for Blossom, but the org would not accept the dog out of fear that the pup could pass on something contagious to their animals. Though it should be noted, it was never clear to Annie if Bubbles was tested for distemper or if the dog’s health was worsening because of neurological issues.
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Eventually, Annie offered to adopt Bubbles so that she could pay for her treatment rather than euthanize her immediately like the foundation was preparing to do. Her request was denied.
“The next morning after numerous attempts to get in contact with both Laura [Labelle] and Sabrina I called the vet and was informed that overnight Bubbles died by herself. LaBelle was aware that Bubbles had passed and failed to inform me, the foster parent, despite knowing that I had the intent to adopt her.”
Annie, who previously adopted her dog Ella from the foundation, went on to clarify:
“My sole goal is to ensure that what happened to these puppies never happens again. My goal is to ensure that next time a dying puppy needs life-saving help, the rescue foundation will employ all resources necessary to prove the animal with the help they need.”
Whoa… Read the full post (below).
For receipts, you can see screenshots of the text messages the model had with the Labelle owners here:
Annie has continued to speak out about the situation on social media, garnering a lot of support from celebrities and dog lovers. On Tuesday, she posted an emotional video processing the harrowing situation.
This is so devastating. Not only should this never have happened, but it’s shocking that a rescue facility would specifically call out the already traumatized foster parent. So unnecessary! UGH.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? We’re sure you have some feelings about this story. Let us know in the comments (below).
[Image via Annie Marie/Instagram]
The post Model Annie Marie Tells Heartbreaking Story Exposing Labelle Foundation Dog Rescue Of Alleged Animal Cruelty — With Receipts! appeared first on Perez Hilton.