A couple went to the SPCA to adopt a puppy. They filled out the paperwork and were ready to take it home. Then a front desk worker threw a wrench into their plans.<\/p>\n
Appreciated Treasures (@rygotwt), a watch-review TikTok account that\u2019s run by a Houston, Texas man named Rygo<\/a>, posted a video explaining how a trip to the Houston SPCA resulted in him and his fianc\u00e9e deciding to adopt a puppy.<\/p>\n Then, in the middle of the adoption process, a worker let them know that the dog actually wasn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n A disappointing trip to the Houston SPCA<\/p>\n Rygo and his partner visited the Houston SPCA<\/a>. They went to a location that Rygo said had a variety of puppies available. The couple saw a few that they liked. Later, after visiting the birds, cats and big dogs, they returned to visit two puppies.<\/p>\n Rygo and his partner started playing with a puppy named Reba.<\/p>\n \u201c She\u2019s super cute. All she\u2019s doing is cuddling. She comes to us, she rubs herself on our arms and, like, our clothes\u2026 We\u2019re petting her. She\u2019s licking us. She\u2019s super sweet, right?\u201d Rygo said.<\/p>\n The couple realized that they wanted to adopt Reba. So they began the process.<\/p>\n An adoption attempt gone wrong<\/p>\n An employee, who Rygo said was named Travis, came up to the couple and asked them how they were doing. Rygo and his fianc\u00e9e said they were interested in adoption. Rygo added later in his video that Travis made it seem like the dog was available. They discussed how she ended up in the shelter and how long she was there before officially starting the process.<\/p>\n After chatting a little bit more about the puppy, Rygo said that Travis left to start the application. Travis purportedly told them the process would take 20 to 30 minutes.<\/p>\n They saw employees take the puppy to the front where they keep adopted animals. Later, the couple went to the front desk and let a woman working there know that they found a pet they wanted to adopt.<\/p>\n Then Rygo gave the woman Reba\u2019s application materials. He said the mood immediately shifted.<\/p>\n \u201c So we hand her the document, and she\u2026 stopped talking to us. Like, we noticed there was \u2026 She switched the attitude completely,\u201d Rygo said, adding, \u201c She wasn\u2019t talking to us, and she was kinda\u2026 rude. She\u2019s, like, typing, and she\u2019s, like, filling some paperwork on a, like, little notebook that they had.\u201d<\/p>\n At first, Rygo thought that it was just a part of the application process. But a few minutes passed, and no one said anything. Then a man came into the room to explain there had been a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n Rygo did not reply to inquires sent via TikTok direct message and comment.<\/p>\n What went wrong with the puppy adoption?<\/p>\n Rygo said that another worker at the SPCA explained that they couldn\u2019t adopt Reba.<\/p>\n \u201c This dog wasn\u2019t supposed to be in the system. She was fostering. She was\u2026 being fostered by a family, so they\u2019re actually gonna take her \u2019cause she\u2019s gonna be adopted by them,\u201d Rygo recalled.<\/p>\n Rygo and his fianc\u00e9e started asking questions and perhaps plead their case for adoption. Staff didn\u2019t budge, he said. Then his fianc\u00e9e started crying and went outside.<\/p>\n Rygo followed to comfort her. He later walked back into the building to ask whether anything could be done about the situation. Rygo explained to the man that Travis had discussed the puppy at length with them and told them the dog was ready for adoption.<\/p>\n Rygo said the Houston SPCA employee apologized again. But said unfortunately, there was nothing they could do.<\/p>\n Rygo then asked whether a family was actually coming to pick Reba up. Then someone raised their hand behind him and said they were there for the puppy. According to Rygo, they further explained that the dog had been sick during Memorial Day weekend, which postponed the official adoption process.<\/p>\n \u201c I\u2019m not happy at all with my experience at the SPCA Houston. I\u2019m not happy at all with the service they offered us, with how these people managed the situation,\u201d Rygo said. \u201cI\u2019m not happy at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston SPCA did not respond to an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n Viewers recommend Houston shelters<\/p>\n Some viewers who watched Rygo\u2019s video said the situation was frustrating.<\/p>\n One person said, \u201cThat all sounds super sketchy on their part. This frustrated me and I wasn\u2019t even there. I hope you find your dream puppy soon at a shelter with a much better experience. So sorry this happened to y\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n Other commenters, however, told Rygo and his fianc\u00e9e not to let the incident deter them. They said the couple should consider adopting when they\u2019re ready. Many people cited Houston\u2019s high euthanasia rate as a reason to adopt rather than shop for a dog.<\/p>\n MSN reports that BARC<\/a>, Houston\u2019s city shelter, euthanized more than 4,000 adoptable pets in 2025 following policy changes that year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some viewers recommended visiting BARC or Harris County Pets. Others simply sent words of encouragement.<\/p>\n \u201cHouston has such a high kill rate & it makes me so grateful you guys decided to adopt & so sad this didn\u2019t work out for you guys. Wishing you guys healing & the best of luck!\u201d one commenter said.<\/p>\n