Okay, I can't say I completely what's going on here, but let's not be too quick to judge. It's still only been a few days since this whole thing started. Teiya still needs time to process everything.
First, let's imagine that you get a dog shipped to you. You paid $1100 but the dog is aggressive and doesn't appear to be the same dog pictured. The dog attacks your other dog and you incur $500 in vet costs.
At this point, I would be thinking about how to give the dog back and how to get my money back. I think there's emotionally a difference between spending money on a sick dog you've bonded with and a healthy dog that isn't a good fit in your household. Honestly, if I found myself out $1600 and saddled with the responsibility of finding this new dog a good home, I would be pretty ticked.
In the ksl ad, Emma appears to be represented accuractely. The ad notes that she will need to be in a household with no children or other dogs. Other people recommended that she be adopted, so I don't think there's a problem running a local add.
I can't say for sure obviously, but it still looks to me like Teiya is trying to weigh several different options at once. The spay decreases Emma's value by a few hundred at most, correct? Considering how much money Tieya is already out, I'd be surprised if that was a major factor. If she's getting legal advice not to spay, I can see why should would hold off for at least another few weeks while she works out what's best. Presumably Emma can be kept in a separate part of the house to prevent aggression problems. I just watched an episode of 'It's Me or The Dog' where Victoria helped a couple with a Jack Russell who wanted to kill the new dog.
Also, just to clarify a minor point, Teiya will need to drive the dog out, then drive herself back. A five hour drive is a ten hour round trip, a drive halfway is five.
For some reason, I feel like things are going to work out for Emma. Maybe not tomorrow, but I hope and believe that by the end of April, she'll be in her forever home.
Just my guess, of course!