Tony was able to fix the water heater by early afternoon, so he and #4 and #5 went outside and took turns running with Toby up and down the driveway to try to wear him out. After that, while everyone else was getting ready to go, #3 and I tossed a ball up and down the stairs to really make sure Toby was thoroughly out of energy before heading to the shelter. I even brought a couple toys this time in hopes that if he felt like playing in the car he'd manage his energy even more! It was a quiet ride, both dogs were calm and relaxed the whole way. I checked the rescue website again as we made the last turn down their road, just five minutes until we got there, and Olivia was still listed as available. I put my phone in my pocket and put my mask on as we pulled in, and was prepared to ask if whoever would be handling Olivia could come and meet Toby alone first, so we could determine if he's afraid of the new person (which I suspect is the issue) or if he's actually responding to the dog.
Imagine my shocked disbelief when the lady at the front desk informed me that Olivia had just been adopted... literally minutes before we arrived. They knew we were coming today, we had an application filled out and on file with them, we confirmed yesterday that we would be back again today with both dogs and all of the kids in the car to make sure we followed all of the shelter's requirements to "prove" the dogs got along (instead of letting me handle introductions myself at home, as I have for every other animal I've ever brought home in my entire lifetime - without any problems).
I am absolutely devastated by this. Crushed, disappointed, and yes, I'm angry. I will not be pursuing adoption from that rescue now or ever again in the future. How cruel to string someone along like that! Three days in a row we went to their shelter to follow their adoption protocols. Three days we traveled over an hour in the car there and back. Three days, they had our application, they met our family, they saw how we interacted, THREE DAYS. At any point in time they could have spoken up and said "no, we don't think this is a good match, we're going to keep looking for another home" - or perhaps more appropriately "we don't believe in training dogs for service animals, we'd rather find her a home where she can be a couch potato instead of helping the mental health of someone who's experienced in training such animals and knows what they're looking for." Instead they chose to keep telling us to come back the next day! What a colossal waste of time and effort. I cried the entire way home.
I'm reminded here of a quote from Star Trek, when Captain Picard said, "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life." I know I did everything the right way. I was honest on the application, I asked a lot of questions, I followed their rules, I did it the way it should be done. This was not a mistake on my part, and I refuse to beat myself up over any perceived "what ifs" or internalized blame. This is an animal shelter that doesn't care about the people they jerk around. Had I lied and said I didn't have any dogs, turns out they'd have let me walk out with her on day one - what a great incentive for honesty. So, from here on out, I will never promote them, I will never suggest them to anyone, I will never use any of my social media platforms to follow, forward, or engage in their social media presence, or encourage people to adopt there. I will not be donating or volunteering there, I will not mention their name if people ask where I've adopted in the past. I know it's meaningless to them, but today that rescue lost a supporter. So often I've suggested them to friends and family looking for a new pet. Never again.
To whoever adopted Olivia today, I wish you and her well. She's a great dog. She'd have made an amazing service dog. It's a shame that someone wanting a pet was prioritized over someone who needed a service animal. And to the rescue - shame on you for blatant discrimination hidden thinly under the guise of selectively enforcing your adoption policy. When we adopted Toby two years ago we had two other dogs at home and we were not required to do any meet and greets. In fact last week when we met two available dogs, a meet and greet was never mentioned, even when we said we had two dogs at home. It wasn't until our second time meeting available dogs (Friday) when I brought up that we wanted to train the dog to be a service dog that a meet and greet was mentioned and was suddenly an absolute requirement for adoption. There is no mention of a required meet and greet on their website, their adoption application, or any of their animal profile pages. It is "recommended" on their Petfinder page, which is the only mention at all.