I found a terrified, matted, and filthy Lhasa Apso at the SPCA that had been slated to be destroyed. The dog had been a stray for weeks and had been transferred around several times. The cute little guy shook my hand with his paw through the cage and touched my heart in a way that forced me to take action to help him. Upon inquiry of his fate, the SPCA refused to consider his adoption as he had bitten the vet during an assessment. I wondered how they thought that a little scared dog should react to the ordeal he was going through. I left the SPCA and phoned my husband who arrived at the shelter claiming that the Lhasa was his. (He is not happy about lying to them but understood the urgency of the situation). The SPCA handed the dog over, charging $110, and told him they didn't care because the dog was to be destroyed anyway.
We got the dog home and over the next while it was obvious that he'd been severely abused and neglected. He was so scared of us, but so happy to have a warm bed to sleep on. He lived with our elderly father and they became the best of friends who were never separated. The dog was starving for affection and finally had the home he deserved.
So that's my story. I do feel badly that we lied and misrepresented ourselves but trying to negotiate with the SPCA proved to be useless - and made it clear to my family that the SPCA does not have the best interest of the animals at heart.