There must be more to this story. Like Uabassoon said, they're out the money for treatment anyways (I'm assuming they treated the pup, since they ended up giving it away). It really doesn't make much sense for them to not just treat the dog and try and get the money later from the owner, through court or payments. Unless the woman had used the clinic before and didn't pay them? It could be she owed for a previous bill, and instead of simply turning the dog away they decided to keep him? Did they have any payment policies posted? I'm sure she had to sign something when she dropped the puppy off, maybe there was something in there.

Vets can get expensive, but they are not a charity. Many vets do extensive charity work, but they cannot afford to treat all animals free/cheaply - they'd go out of business quickly.

I keep a credit card and an emergency fund for my animals' emergency. It is something I have worried about, and having the card eases my mind. I never want to be put into a position of having to decide or debate about a too-expensive treatment. And as I have so often found out, animals will always get sick or hurt just when you are the brokest. They also tend to get the sickest/have emergencies on the weekends, when the emergency vet may be the only option.

I'm not saying that anyone who doesn't have an emergency fund/credit card backup in case of emergencies is a bad pet owner, but it is something to keep in mind - I speak from experience (not the good kind of experience).