My first “real” job was at the SPCA. One morning I opened the front door when we opened and there was a guy sitting their petting a dog. Looked like an Australian Shepherd to me. He asks me where he can donate a bunch of stuff he had (dog kennel, leashes, food, etc…)
He helped me carry it all into our storage area. When we finished I noticed he was tearing up. I asked if he was alright. He said “not really”, then walked outside. I was young and didn’t know how to respond to that. A few minutes later he came back in with his dog. Tears soaking his face and in a full on sob.
He tells me that his girlfriend just moved in and she doesn’t like the dog. She gave him the “dog or me” ultimatum. He gave us all of the history and records for the dog. He gave us a pile of expensive brand dog food that he said was the only kind his dog really liked. He donated about $1K and even tried to give me some money to take good care of her. I didn’t accept it of course, but reassured him I would take care of his dog.
He gave his dog a huge hug and walked out.
Four hours later he comes flying back into the pound, still in tears, and asked if his dog was still there. She was. He said he wanted to take her back. Of course we gladly obliged. I got the dog while my boss grabbed his donations. He refused to take back his donations and even donated another $500.
We asked him what happened. He said he got home and realized what a massive mistake he made. He ended things with the girl. He also became a regular volunteer at the SPCA.