Why in the name of all that is good does it make THAT much of a difference if the kid is 11-12 or 14? Sheesh.
I can appreciate that some dogs are not good with kids (mine is nervous around them)....and some small dogs will bite first and ask questions later, but there IS an adult there. It's not like the mother couldn't supervise what the kids were doing with the dog (or that the kids were irresponsible enough to harm the dog)
That poor dog. He had a home and now he doesn't. How does that solve anything?
ABSOLUTELY make sure that the people who adopt animals are capable of taking care of them......but don't get hung up on details that make no difference.
Betcha if Ellen had a kid under 14 and she had kept the dog there wouldn't have been a problem. Or some other celebrity with small kids....or some rich person with tons of money.