Jimmy Kimmel's Sidekick Apologizes After His Rescue Dogs Ended Up at Local Shelter

The comedian said it's all the result of a misunderstanding.

Jimmy Kimmel Live sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez caught flack on social media after it was revealed two dogs he adopted were surrendered at a shelter.

According to TMZ, Rodriguez adopted chihuahuas Chase and Rey in 2021 as puppies. He announced his family's adorable addition on Instagram and thanked Los Angeles-based shelter Mutt Scouts for helping his family "save these beautiful dogs."

But as Mutt Scouts told the tabloid, the organization received a call from a different shelter saying the dogs were recently dropped off by a woman and that through the dogs' microchips, the shelter discovered the pups were registered to Mutt Scouts.

Mutt Scouts then posted on Instagram, "We were very upset when we received a call from the West Valley Shelter the other day that two former Mutt Scouts had been surrendered by their owners. We microchip our dogs and register them to our account for this very reason."

The statement continued, "We will ALWAYS take dogs back into our care. It doesn’t matter their health status, how long it’s been, behavioral issues, we will ALWAYS take them back. We commit to every single one of our dogs for life."

The Instagram post also included a screenshot of Rodriguez's now-deleted post from 2021. People began calling out the comedian on social media, wondering why he'd adopted the dogs in the first place if he wasn't going to keep them.

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Rodriguez spoke to TMZ about the situation, offering some clarity. He shared that his stepsister was tasked with caring for his grandmother's large dog while the elder struggled with dementia. When he had knee surgery, he left the chihuahuas under his sister's care, too.

However, his stepsister was allegedly concerned that the bigger dog would attack Chase and Rey, so she took them to the shelter without first disclosing it to Rodriguez. When he found out, he told her it was a "big mistake."

Rodriguez didn't take the dogs back into his care. On Friday, Mutt Scouts announced on social media that the adorable dogs need a foster willing to take both simultaneously. Those interested in fostering can register on Mutt Scouts' site.

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