Lena Dunham slammed by animal shelter over claim her adopted dog was 'abused'

Actress Lena Dunham poses at Elle Magazine annual Women in Television dinner in Los Angeles, California January 13, 2015. (Reuters)

An animal shelter is disputing Lena Dunham's claim that a dog she adopted from the Brooklyn facility and eventually gave up had "challenging behavior and aggression" that stemmed from "terrible abuse."

Dunham revealed in a late June Instagram post she had given her dog Lamby to a canine rehabilitation center in Los Angeles after four years of aggressive behavior.

However, the animal shelter is now denying Dunham's dog had any history of abuse or behavioral issues.

"When she adopted the dog from us, it wasn't crazy," Robert Vazquez, a spokesman for the BARC told Yahoo Celebrity. "If Lamby had a bad past or was abused, do you think BARC would have adopted him to Lena knowing she's a new star and put her — or the dog — in that situation?"

Vazquez told Yahoo he has pictures of Dunham with Lamby "loving on Lena and her mom" which he said would not happen "if the dog was abused."

"It wouldn't be cuddling with her or be in the bed with her 'boyfriend' in the pages of Vogue," he said adding BARC does not lie about dogs' histories "because that gets them returned — and mentally it's not good for the dogs."

BARC did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.

A source close to Dunham told Fox News the 31-year-old had the dog examined by six veterinarians who "deemed that the dog had an abusive past and brain damage."

Dunham responded to BARC's claims on Instagram Thursday saying, "I did what I thought the best mother would do, which was to give him a life that provided for his specific needs."

Dunham wrote in her June 21st post she had sent Lamby to live "at an amazing professional facility in Los Angeles" after "training or medication or consistent loving dog ownership" failed to fix the dog's supposed behavioral issues.

She added Thursday, "I have weathered a lot of micro-scandals but this one hurts MOST, because of the vulnerability of letting people know Lamby and my story, and because I miss him so damn much."

A rep for Dunham directed Fox News to the star's Instagram post about the controversy.

A spokesperson for the canine rehabilitation center Lamby was sent to, Zen Dog, told The Cut Lamby was "a hot mess" and was heavily medicated, had a bad temperament and was drinking his own urine when he arrived at their center.

Dunham, who has two other dogs, has tweeted in the past about being bitten by Lamby.