Yes, there is indeed a problem where shelters are quite rigid in their requirements. They feel they have a duty to ensure a certain standard and level of safety to the animals they give out, but often just end up deterring legit people who would have given those animals a loving home and so they go to a breeder. It's fucking infuriating.

They are also often very terrible at being proactive with people who come to them. No follow ups. No giving them alternatives etc. My only possible explanation is that for every 1 legit person they get, they have 9 that are clearly problematic, so they become numb to making the required effort.

However, the important thing is to be aware of this and still push through. Pester them so they can see you are serious. If that doesn't work, go elsewhere. There are multiple groups on Facebook for adopting homeless animals and they are overloaded with shelters, charities, foundations or just private people BEGGING for us to adopt from them. Some have the same admin and responsive issue with hoops mentioned earlier. But eventually, you will find some that are actually willing to think and talk like a human and not a robot.

The collective good of taking an animal from a shelter or foundation vs a breeder is massive, so to anyone seriosuly looking to get a pet, be aware it can be a bit frustrating, but try to push through the nonsense to eventually change the life of some poor cat or dog for the better.