The Hoarding Horror

Earlier this week my husband and I assisted in rescuing dogs from a hoarder. This is the first time we had been involved a situation such as this, and have come away from it a firm resolve do what we can to educate people to recognize hoarding situations and promote bettter laws and help for people who have the compulsion to hoard.

Simply put, hoarders are people who collect large numbers of pets, cannot provide the for the basic needs of those pets, such as food, water, shelter, sanitary living conditions and veterinary care, and do not recognize there is a problem with the living conditions of these animals. Hoarders are willing to live in the same filthy conditions as the pets they are hoarding.

Hoarding has been described as a mental illness that progresses over time. It is a pathological desire to acquire animals and control them.

Often when animals are removed from a home, the owners will acquire new animals and the situation is repeated.

The cost to the public to prosecute hoarders is considerable. Local animal control must seize the animals, and those in such poor condition they cannot be saved are euthanized, those needing veterinary care receive it, all must be boarded until the case is heard. Tax dollars pay all expenses, including court costs. Often hoarders do not have the funds to pay any expenses, including fines.

THEN THEY REPEAT THE HOARDING OFFENSES! Many hoarders will simply move to another location and within weeks are "collecting" animals again.

What can we do to stop haording? We can recognize hoarders and report them to the authorities, and here we must recognize that the authorities may be less than enthusiastic in following up on these reports, given the time, cost and the ability for hoarders to repeat the offenses. Keep reporting!

Ask for animal control ordinances that allow for follow up visits with the hoarders in order to keep them from repeating the offense.

Ask for intervention/counselling for the hoarders in order to stop the behavior.

Get involved with local humane societies and rescue groups.