The Queer Eye alum Jonathan Van Ness He revealed that they recently had to return their dog George.
“This was a terrible event and I share to say to the whole family of animals, it is not easy, but I am very happy that we can show these creatures,” announced Van Ness, 39, on Instagram on Friday, June 27.
This famous hairdresser explained that there was an incident at their home recently when a pit bull mix hit their cat Liza, breaking her jaw.
“This is not a fun pet and family update. That’s our cat Liza,” he explained. “Three weeks ago, I think it was June 2nd, our beloved dog George had a situation with Liza when they tried to cross each other on the stairs. Liza was angry and gave him a swat but George just ran after him.”
Van Ness said the problem shocked them and their husband Mark Peacock because their animals tend to get along well. (Before this incident, the couple had eight pets: five cats and three dogs.)
“[George] it didn’t like to bite him, but to torture him [and] looking for him ended up breaking his jaw,” the The Queer Eye said the star. “I took George out of her, I couldn’t see how much damage until I got to Liza and I saw what I knew was that her jaw was broken.”
In the chaos, Van Ness “started screaming, crying [and] to howl” so that Peacock can help them take Liza to a safe place.” The couple ended up rushing the cat to a local vet for emergency surgery.
“I knew right away that if he succeeded, we wouldn’t be able to keep George and thank God for the people at the animal hospital, they did a real miracle for him,” she recalled. “I didn’t think he was going to make it, and I thought I was going to cancel my shows.”
Jonathan Van Ness and Mark Peacock and George in 2023.
Courtesy of YouTube / Jonathan Van NessWhen Liza is out of the woods, Van Ness and Peacock choose to have George removed from their home immediately.
“[George has] having lived with us for four years, all the animals got along very well for the most part and this just came out. It was very bitter,” they said.
Van Ness confirmed that they quickly found a new foster home for George where he could get one-on-one care without other pets around.
“Our view on George is that he is not a three dog, five cat type of dog and he just needs to be the only dog in the house,” they suggested.
Their announcement sparked many reactions, with some questioning whether Van Ness and Peacock were doing what was best for George.
“Why don’t you bring home the cat that was provoking it? If the dog has no way to be aggressive?” one person asked, another lamented, “If I bite and attack and I’ve been well behaved for 4 years… I don’t understand the sudden reintroduction/only one dog.”
“Pets are like people who have disagreements,” the commentator continued. “There are kids who play badly and accidentally break their brothers’ arms or whatever… the dangers of sports… everyone has to do the best they can. But that seems like a foregone conclusion.”
However, many sympathized with Van Ness and Pigogo’s decision to prioritize their cat’s safety after being seriously injured.
“As a vet tech, I think you made the best decision for everyone involved,” commented another. “Although I understand the people who are on the dog’s side, it had to be chosen and it would be cruel to punish the cat when they are the ones who suffer because of the dog’s actions.”
Another Instagram user added, “This is so sad and such a difficult situation to be in. Ignore the people who say you shouldn’t have rehomed the dog, some dog people are really crazy. Liza almost died and it’s a very angry thing. It sounds like you did something very reasonable, if not difficult. Most people wouldn’t do that.”
