No 'Happily Ever After' For Iggy's Former Family

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (November 21, 2007) - A lot of tears have been shed over a dog named Iggy.

Mutts & Moms' Marina Baktis gave an emotional interview to Access Hollywood and, of course, Ellen DeGeneres gave her now-famous tear-filled plea to a nation of viewers on her stage after Iggy the dog was ripped from the arms of his family.

[ Ellen DeGeneres - View the gallery ]

But now, after remaining silent, Iggy's former family has had enough and is speaking exclusively to Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos.

And while Iggy-gate captured the nation's attention, if for only for a moment, for the family of Cheryl, who is Ellen's hairdresser, this wasn't just any old story.

"People wanted to believe that this, for Iggy, has ended happily ever after. But for our family, this story has not ended happily ever after," Cheryl told Maria. "Iggy was part of our family...Iggy isn't a toy. We had no intention of ever returning him."

[ Dogs and their stars - View the gallery ]

After watching all sides, and then some, weigh in on the doggie dilemma, Cheryl said her family can't keep quiet anymore.

[ Video: Mutts & Moms' Marina Baktis Speaks Out - Watch the Video ]

"We're happy that he's safe. He is in a great home. But has everyone forgotten that this was a great home? That our children were traumatized by this whole thing?" Cheryl added. "It wasn't like our dog passed away. Our dog was taken from us."

After three weeks with the couple, their two young daughters and their other dog named Little Buddy, Iggy was removed from Cheryl and husband Gordon's home by Mutts & Moms co-owner Marina Baktis during what was supposed to be a home inspection.

The details of exactly how that day played out had never been revealed by the family - until now.

"We were 100 percent certain there was no way that it could be turned downthere's a big backyard. Plenty of toys. And the girls are around to play with the dog all the time," Cheryl explained.

"And she made an assurance that she was not going to take the dog," her husband added.

But when Marina arrived, the couple claims she barely looked around. Instead, she scooped up Iggy and starting yelling, according to the family.

"We said, 'Ma'am, you're not leaving with our dog,' and she said, 'Yes I am,'" Gordon recalled. "And then the police came and we had a standoff for about three hours in the backyard."

And as the couple explained, they weren't the only ones who witnessed the dramatic encounter - their daughter was there also.

"And also at that point, Ruby was back here and with the ranting go along, the police said, 'I think it's better your daughter goes inside the house because it's going so insane here,'" Cheryl said.

Animal Services arrived on the scene and when they discovered Iggy's microchip was still registered to Mutts & Moms, police told the family to give the dog back and let Marina leave.

For the family, all that remains now are pictures of Iggy, his dog tag and even an empty dog bed.

"Why do you think Marina wouldn't give you a chance," Maria asked the couple.

"She obviously had a thing against Ellen," Gordon suggested. "And like I said, she was ranting about her rules being broken."

"Yeah, I think it's the rules being broken - celebrities can do whatever they want," Cheryl added. "I don't think it had anything to do with us."

"And for her to say now that the dog is in a good home, sort of implying that we weren't, that's really why we came forward. We want people to remember that we had a great home," Gordon concluded.