Entitled mom at the dog shelter refuses to comply with adoption policy, volunteer schools her: '[She] tried to reserve a dog like it was a handbag!'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jan 6, 2026 4:00 PM EST

It takes a certain kind of entitlement to walk into an establishment and act like you own the place when you very much do not. 

This woman waltzed into a local rescue and demanded to adopt the dog of her choice right then and there. She insisted that she did not need to undergo the regular adoption process that everyone else was required to follow. Instead, she felt that she could bypass the rules and get exactly what she wanted. Clearly, she hadn't listened to the famous Rolling Stones song.

In some ways, possessing this level of unbound confidence is admirable. Those of us who are people pleasers could only dream of walking into a room like we deserve the world and then some. The rest of us feel too scared to point out that we didn't even get the coffee we ordered and paid for. We just swallow our pride time and time again and criticize ourselves to no end when we fail to speak up for ourselves. 

If only the folks who fall into this latter category of individuals could inherit a small percentage of the confidence that people like this woman possessed. To that end, we could only wish that in return, this woman could develop some semblance of humbling self-awareness in return.

Unfortunately, however, some of us will always be people pleasers to some extent, while others think they can bypass dog adoption processes simply because they're "too good" to follow protocol. 

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  • Thankfully, the author of this anecdote was not going to let this woman get away with breaking the rule. This person was a volunteer and was well aware of the proper way to go about the adoption process. If this woman truly wanted to adopt sweet Daisy, she was going to have to get in line like everyone else.

    The most amusing part of this story is that after the lady was rejected and dismissed, she returned to the dog shelter, presumably to fill out an application form like she was supposed to in the first place. However, by the time she came back, Daisy was gone. If she had just swallowed her pride and filled out an application when she first arrived at the shelter, she just might have gotten her wish of taking Daisy home. Instead, it was her entitlement that kept her from getting what she wanted… not the process. 

  • A brown dog sits up in an animal shelter.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "Entitled adopter tried to "reserve" a dog like it was a handbag"

    I volunteer twice a month with a local rescue, mostly doing intake paperwork and helping at weekend adoption events. Last Saturday we were set up in a pet store with 6 dogs in pens, a little
    via miles2002breeze
  • table with applications, and our usual routine: meet the dog, chat with the foster or handler, fill out the form, we do a quick check, then schedule pickup if everything looks good. About an
    via miles2002breeze
  • hour in, this woman comes in with two kids and a big iced coffee, bee lines straight to the sweetest dog we had (a calm older mutt named Daisy who basically leans into anyone with hands). The kids are squealing,
    via miles2002breeze
  • Daisy is wagging, it's cute for about 30 seconds. Then the woman looks at me and goes, "We'll take her. Like, now." I smile and do my little spiel about the application, the adoption fee, and that Daisy is currently in a foster home so we don't do same day
    via miles2002breeze
  • handoffs. Her face changes instantly and she goes, "No. I'm not doing paperwork for a dog. I have kids. I don't have time for that." I tell her gently that everyone does the same process,
    via miles2002breeze
  • it's for the dog's safety, and it usually takes 10-15 minutes. She starts raising her voice, saying we're "gatekeeping" and that Daisy is "obviously meant" for her daughter. Then she points at the pens and asks why those people over there are "taking so long" and says we should let her
    via miles2002breeze
  • skip because her kids are getting bored. When I repeat the policy, she tries a new angle: "Fine. Put her on hold. We're going to Target and then lunch, we'll come back." I thought she meant she was kidding, but she actually turns to her kids and says, "Tell Daisy bye for now, mommy reserved her." I had to say, out
    via miles2002breeze
  • loud, "Ma'am, we can't reserve a dog because you want to go shopping." She gets angry, accuses me of being rude to her kids, and says she's going to call the store manager because "you can't run a business like this." I
    via miles2002breeze
  • told her we're not a store, we're a rescue, and Daisy will go to the best fit family, not whoever demands her first. She stormed off and on the way out loudly told another adopter, "Don't bother,
    via miles2002breeze
  • they're playing favorites." The wild part is she came back 2 hours later and acted shocked Daisy was already pending with a family who actually filled out the form. Then she asked if we had "another Daisy in the back" like we keep spare dogs ready for her.
    via miles2002breeze
  • A woman makes a funny face while pointing toward the camera.
    via Artur Voznenko

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Emotional-Ebb8321 "They're all called Daisy. Keeps things simpler."
    via miles2002breeze
  • Pendergraff-Zoo I hate to say that none of this even surprises me. Rescue is something else. I'm actually happy Daisy found somebody else.
    via miles2002breeze
  • Puzzleheaded_Eye7311 Daisy dodged a huge bullet fr
    via miles2002breeze
  • kombuched That lady should be banned from all shelters.
    via miles2002breeze
  • Attentionlcy6874 She sounds like she'd be a horrible dog owner.
    via miles2002breeze
  • PearGlum1966 It's an easy fix with people like this. It's usually when you tell them the fee!
    via miles2002breeze
  • Naive_Special349 Uhm let her fill out a form, use the info to blacklist her. She should not ever be allowed to adopt an animal.
    via miles2002breeze
  • Realistic_Store9122 That's wild, I wouldn't let her take any dog. The poor pup would be the toy of the day then forgotten...
    via miles2002breeze
  • Confident-Service256 If someone can't follow the process for adoption, do not let them adopt. They will be horrible pet owners
    via miles2002breeze

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dogs adoption audacity mother petty revenge family funny entitled people
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