There are various reasons why a rescue centre may refuse to allow someone to adopt, Georgesgran. Young children living with you or visiting regularly, the presence of an existing pet in the home (many don’t get on with other animals), living in an unsuitable property (eg no, or very small, garden), lack of experience with the desired breed, lack of ability to provide exercise, age (is it likely that you will outlive the animal or become unable to care for them?), or insufficient funds to give the animal proper care - the older the animal, and the more unknown its background, the more expensive insurance to cover vet fees. It’s sad for the vast number of animals languishing in kennels, but proper and responsible enquiries of the circumstances of would-be adopters so often reveal that they cannot provide what the animal needs. My current dog is a case in point, others had applied to adopt her but had been turned down - she loves people of all ages but hates other dogs and, given her size and strength, would easily kill them. We are experienced owners of German shepherds - they are not for the novice, those without the strength to control them or those on a limited budget, but many people find them desirable because of their intelligence, protective abilities and good looks. The same applies to many other breeds I’m sure. Rescue centres are, sadly, used to people bringing animals back because the adopters didn’t know what they were letting themselves in for - and the animal doesn’t understand what went wrong. They try to prevent such situations and, of course, people being harmed.
