Tatum O'Neal Says Her Dog's Death Was The Reason She Searched For Drugs

Tatum O'Neal says her dog's death trigged her drugs arrest.

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The 44-year-old actress, who was arrested for allegedly buying crack cocaine and powder cocaine in New York on Sunday, admits she spiraled out of control following the death of her 16-year-old Scottish Terrier Lena three weeks ago.

She told the New York Post newspaper: "I lost my Scottish Terrier, Lena. That seemed to set me off. She got old. She got cancer. She was the fabric of our family. We had to let her go to heaven. My daughter and I had to put her down. It was too horrible for words."

"I couldn't get out of it. I was going to my psychiatrist. I was doing everything I could do. I have the disease of alcoholism. It's lifelong. I treat it every day by going to my 12-step program."

"One day, I'm walking aimlessly. I found myself doing the wrong thing. I met a drug addict who was panhandling."

Tatum, who claimed she was buying drugs because she was doing research for a film, is now set to check into a rehab facility after her legal team rejected Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia A. Mennin's recommendation of two days of drug counseling during her arraignment on Monday.

A source said: "She's going to go to her own, high-priced, out-of-the-spotlight rehab to get clean - again."

Tatum is next due to appear in court on July 28.