Lena Dunham hits back at animal shelter after accusations she lied about dog's abuse

Lena Dunham has hit back at an animal shelter in an emotional statement on Thursday (06Jul17), after they accused her of lying about her dog's abusive past.

The Girls actress had told fans last month that she had made the decision to rehome Lamby after "four years of challenging behavior and aggression that could not be treated".

"Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others - we needed to be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and especially our beloved boy," she added in the initial post.

However, when contacted about Lena's claims, the BARC animal shelter in Los Angeles contested some of the details.

Robert Vasquez, a spokesperson for the facility, told Yahoo Celebrity: "We checked the records for Lamby. He was ‘owner surrendered, not enough time,’ so we do not know where she got ‘multiple owners that abused the dog.’"

Following the statement, Lena took to Instagram to share a painting of Lamby that hangs in her house, alongside a lengthy response in which she admitted she was more than a little upset about this new feud.

"It's come to my attention that the staff at the shelter where I adopted Lamby have a very different account of his early life and behavioral issues than I do," Lena began.

She continued to admit that the dog's "unpredictable aggression" made it impossible for her to continue looking after him, and forced her to give him up and give him "access to a better life".

"Why should this story be subject to scrutiny and anger? It is willfully misunderstanding the truth. I hope those judging can imagine the incredible pain of letting go of your favorite creature on EARTH because you know you can't help them be healthy and happy," she continued.

Lena also told fans that while she has seen her fair share of scandals, "this one hurts MOST, because of the vulnerability of letting people know Lamby and my story, and because I miss him so damn much."

Concluding her post and referencing the painting, Lena wrote: "This is the painting that greets me every day when I walk into my home. This is the animal who taught me about loving and letting go.

"I know I'm a lot of fun to place your issues on, but I won't let anyone hang their hat on this peg. Not this time."