Why were you denied? I got my last 2 dogs from a rescue center. They try to find a place for the animals they have where they are sure that the animal gets whatever THEY feel it needs. This means that sometimes the centers have opinionated requirements and people are turned down for a particular animal because of these requirements. It dosen't seem right to everyone but they develope some kind of standard and they stick to it. You are probably right when you say you are probably better off buying from a breeder anyway as this way you can get a dog from known lines. This way you can make a more informed decision when you are picking your pup. Don't sell the rescues short though they are doing what they feel is best for each individual animal that they place. Incidently the 2 dogs that I adopted turned out to be two of the best all around companions I could ever have hoped to have. Both would never win any field trials but they learned to trail, flush and retrieve birds for me. They also have been my constant companions on numerous backpacking trips, day hikes, and darn near any other activity where I could include them. I can honestly tell you that I do not regret getting these dogs from the rescue and when my current buddy leaves me I will probably go to the rescue again. I'm really sorry to hear that you were denied a rescue animal but if you haven't already bought from a breeder maybe you could give another rescue organization a chance to fix you up.