Lily Allen furiously hits out at PETA as dog row turns brutal: 'Shame on you'

Lily Allen was blasted by fans for "abandoning" a dog after it ate her passport and prevented her from flying her kids to see their father overseas.

The Smile star had nothing to be cheerful about when she was branded "despicable" and accused of being a "spoilt child" after describing the passport accident as the "final straw". She was told by fans on Instagram: "You deserve no animals, grow up it’s only a passport you can get a replacement." (sic)

Another argued: "I suppose the lesson here is make sure you don’t leave your passports around. Poor dog. Passports can be replaced not dogs. You are acting like a spoiled child." A third exclaimed: "I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact a small dog could eat two passports. I adored you as a singer. But really, Lily?"

Alhough some said their "hearts were broken" over the "cruel" dismissal, not everyone criticised Lily for admitting she could no longer cope with her boisterous pet. One suggested she was actually being "responsible" by handing it back to the shelter.

"She couldn’t meet a dog's needs, so she gave it to a vetted and trustworthy owner who could. Isn’t that the most responsible thing you can do for the dog?!?" quizzed one fan. Another agreed: "If you’re not able to commit to a dog’s needs, the responsible thing to do is to rehome it. There’s far too many dog owners around that shouldn’t be allowed a pet, and it’s the animal that suffers as a result."

A third supported her further, saying: "People are acting like she abused/harmed the dog, she made a decision that was best for all concerned…People need to get off their high horses."

"Why do people feel so entitled to throw death threats because someone is 'famous’? She’s a human, just because you don’t agree with it, doesn’t mean you have to tear the poor girl down over the internet," argued one fan.

"Half of you judging wouldn’t say it to her face. If you can’t say something to someone’s face, don’t put it on the internet."

As the debate raged out, Lily took to Twitter to add some context, as she slammed animal charity PETA for fuelling the flames of the fire.

"People have been furiously reacting to a deliberately distorted cobbling together of quotes designed to make people angry and as a result, I've received some really abhorrent messages including death threats," Lily raged, adding that "some of the most disgusting comments" had appeared on her social media channels.

She went on to explain that the pup, named Mary, had developed "pretty severe separation anxiety" and "couldn't be left alone for more than 10 mins".

Despite giving the dog three long walks a day, and consulting with "a behavioural specialist and a professional trainer", she failed to improve, according to Lily.

"After many months and much deliberation everyone was in agreement that our home wasn't the best fit for Mary... The person that she was rehomed with was known to us and that rehoming happened within 24 hours of her being returned," she added.

Lily concluded that she felt she "couldn't meet" the pup's needs and that its "happiness and welfare were central to making that decision [to rehome her]."

Animal charity PETA's reps remain angry with Lily's stance, writing on Twitter: "YOU laughed when speaking about abandoning Mary and ruined this poor dog’s life. She thought she had a loving forever home before you tossed her out, calling her 'that f******* dog' who 'ruined my life.' Shame on you. You don’t deserve even the toy dog we sent you."

However, Lily replied, slamming the charity for "perpetuating lies" and adding: "People laugh when they talk about painful things all the time, it’s quite normal... What kind of animal welfare charity tries to shame someone for wanting to improve the welfare of an animal?"