Queer Eye alum Jonathan Van Ness revealed that they recently had to rehome their pet dog George.
“This has been such a devastating event and I’m sharing to say for every animal family, its not easy, but Im so glad we can show up for these creatures & each other,” Van Ness, 39, announced via Instagram on Friday, June 27.
The celebrity hairstylist explained that there was an incident in their home recently where the pit bull mix physically lashed out at their cat Liza, breaking her jaw in the process.
“This is not a fun pet and family update. That is our cat Liza,” he explained. “Three weeks ago, I think it was June 2nd, our beloved dog George had a situation with Liza where they were trying to cross each other on the stairs. Liza was pissed and she gave him a little swat but George freaked out and went for her.”
Van Ness said that the ordeal was totally shocking for them and husband Mark Peacock because their animals usually get along well. (Prior to this incident, the couple owned eight pets: five cats and three dogs.)
“[George] wasn’t like biting her, but roughhousing [and] going for her and ended up breaking her jaw,” the Queer Eye star said. “I got George off of her, I couldn’t tell what the immediate damage was until I got to Liza and saw what I knew was a broken jaw.”
In the midst of the chaos, Van Ness “started screaming, crying [and] howling” for Peacock to help them get Liza to safety. The couple eventually rushed the cat to a local vet to perform emergency surgery.
“I knew instantly that if she made it, we weren’t gonna be able to keep George and thank God for the people at the animal hospital, they performed a literal miracle on her,” he recalled. “I didn’t think she was gonna make it, and I thought I was gonna cancel my shows.”
Once Liza was out of the woods, Van Ness and Peacock chose to have George immediately removed from their home.
“[George has] been with us for four years, all the animals got along so well for the most part and this just came completely out of the blue. It’s been so gut-wrenching,” they said.
Van Ness confirmed that they quickly found George a new foster home where he could receive individual care without other pets around.
“Our theory on George is that he is not a three dogs, five cats sort of dog and he just needs to be the only dog in the house,” they suggested.
Their announcement drew an array of responses, with some questioning whether Van Ness and Peacock had done what was best for George.
“Why not rehome the cat who was the agitator? If the dog doesn’t have a pattern of aggression?” one person asked, with another chiming in, “If not biting attacking and had been absolutely fine for 4 years… I don’t understand the sudden rehoming/only a one dog home.”
“Pets just like humans have disagreements,” the commenter went on. “There are children that rough play accidentally break their siblings arm or whatever… sports accidents… everyone has to do what’s best for them. But that seems like a sudden conclusion to jump to.”
However, many sympathized with Van Ness and Peacock’s decision to prioritize the safety of their cat after such a severe injury.
“As a vet tech, I think you made the best decision for everyone involved,” one person noted. “While I understand the people on the dog’s side, it was a choice that needed to be made and it would be cruel to punish the cat, when they are the one suffering for the dog’s actions.”
Another Instagram user added, “This is so heartbreaking and of course such a tough situation to be in. Ignore the people saying you shouldn’t have rehomed the dog, some dog people are genuinely crazy. Liza almost died and that’s such a serious angry thing. It sounds like you’ve done the most rational, if not difficult thing. A lot of people wouldn’t do that.”
