Lily Allen is facing criticism from PETA following a recent confession, but she has responded strongly.

The 39-year-old singer, famous for her hit “Smile,” faced intense backlash on social media after sharing on the “Miss Me?” podcast that she returned an adopted dog because it “ate my passport, and so I took her back to the home.”

“She chewed all three of our passports, including our visas,” Allen explained. “I can’t express how much it cost to replace everything, especially during COVID, which made the whole process a nightmare. My children’s father is in England, so for about four or five months, I struggled to get them back to see him because this (expletive) dog had eaten the passports.”

Allen, who is married to David Harbour and has two kids with her former spouse Sam Cooper, noted that she couldn’t look at her dog, named Mary, without feeling upset after the incident. “I thought, ‘You’ve ruined my life,'” she admitted.

However, she clarified that the passport incident was not the sole reason for returning the dog, mentioning that Mary was also “very misbehaved” and despite her efforts to train her, it just wasn’t a good match. She indicated that the passport incident was the final straw. Allen also hinted at the possibility of adopting a new puppy soon.

Despite this explanation, many social media users were not pleased, with one commenter on X stating that Allen’s “own stupidity” was to blame, as she “left passports where the dog could reach them.”

PETA U.K. also sent a letter to Allen, stating they would be gifting her a mechanical dog toy because it was “the only animal” she should have in her home.

“While you can replace your passports and rebook your flights, Mary might spend many months in a shelter waiting for a new family—if she’s lucky enough to find one,” wrote Elisa Allen, Vice President of PETA U.K. “Animals should not be treated as disposable items that you discard when they become a hassle.”

Lily Allen criticizes PETA for spreading falsehoods about her, responds to backlash

In a lengthy message shared on X and Instagram, Allen responded to the backlash, claiming that her words were “intentionally misrepresented” by the media, and mentioned she has received “horrible messages including death threats.”

She emphasized how much she cared for Mary, explaining that the dog had developed “significant separation anxiety and would act out in various ways.”

“Mary couldn’t be left alone for longer than 10 minutes; we took her on 3 long walks daily—two by us and one with a local dog walker—and even worked with the shelter from which we rescued her. They referred us to a behavioral specialist and a trainer, and a volunteer from the shelter would come to dog sit when we were gone. After considerable effort, we all agreed that our home wasn’t the right fit for Mary,” Allen explained.

The Grammy nominee also mentioned that Mary was rehomed within 24 hours to someone she knew.

“I’ve been a consistent rescuer of dogs since I was four years old. I’m quite adept at recognizing their needs, and I’ve never been accused of mistreating any animal. This whole week has been incredibly distressing for me,” Allen said.

PETA, dissatisfied with her response, replied on X that Allen “laughed” during her podcast when discussing rehoming Mary and claimed it “ruined this poor dog’s life,” adding, “Shame on you. You don’t deserve even the toy dog we sent you.” In retaliation, Allen pointed out that “people often laugh when discussing painful subjects” and criticized PETA for “spreading falsehoods” with their “harmful” post.

Allen had first introduced her fans to Mary in an Instagram post from 2021, stating they would “be seeing a lot more of her.”

The singer previously made headlines earlier this year for stating in a “Radio Times” podcast episode that her children “ruined my career.”

“I love them and they make my life complete, but in terms of my pop career, they completely derailed it,” she expressed. “It frustrates me when people say you can have it all because, honestly, you can’t.  I prioritized spending time with them, and I’m glad I did because they turned out to be very well-adjusted individuals.”

Contributors: Naledi Ushe, YSL News