This is theft for profit.
“DARE” [local Dobe rescue] does something very similar.
They scour shelters and lost and found ads, snatch up the dogs *even before they go to shelters* and charge insane “adoption fees” for the now “stray” Dobes.
Even the AKC and DPCA has disavowed them yet they continue to flourish.
Worse than all that, healthy, well cared for Dobes commonly deteriorate in their “shelter”, rapidly.
It’s a hustle.
The SPCA is guilty of letting some of their employees run scams with outside friends to allow these friends inside to take animals out for profit.