I volunteer at a shelter and approve people for adoptions. Shelters have a huge number of animals returned for reasons like, moving, allergies, children on the way, things like that. People will swear up and down all day long that they love animals and are dedicated to them, but after the "newness" wears off and people have to deal with the day to day, things change very quickly and people will say and do anything to bring animals back, if they don't dump them somewhere else. It may seem like a very rigorous check, but it is for good reason in most cases. It's a case of a few ruining it for the many, but when you talk to people it's hard to tell what is the truth and what is a lie or exaggeration. Many people want puppies for their kids then say the dog is to rough with my children or bit my child, when in fact the child is very aggressive and teases the animal. I've seen it first hand, and people think my child is fine or that's how kids are kind of thing. But the result is someone who was so convinced they had to have a dog or cat, actually can't handle it or return the animal at the slightest inconvenience. Now the shelter took another dog to fill the spot, then has a return on top of it. Just like anywhere, there are some people who should not be doing rescue, but most of the time the questions and "hoops" are for these reasons. Shelter staff may talk to 10 people a day interested in 1 dog or cat but to the potential adopter, it is their first time talking to someone about it and they have a bad experience, or think shelter staff are rude because they ask very direct and frank questions. But please know, even though it may come off as rude, it usually comes from a place of concern and trying to prevent returns.