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Are you an Animal Hoarder?
- Thread starter Ewok
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How many tarantulas can you have before it's considered hoarding? haha.. just kidding.
It's so crazy how stuff like that happens. I watch those animal cop shows and see stories like this all the time. It's really, really sad... the conditions not only the animals are in but the people. And at the same time the people get so upset they are losing their animals... it's hard watching their hearts break like that but, man, they need help!
It's so crazy how stuff like that happens. I watch those animal cop shows and see stories like this all the time. It's really, really sad... the conditions not only the animals are in but the people. And at the same time the people get so upset they are losing their animals... it's hard watching their hearts break like that but, man, they need help!
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I read that yesterday on AOL news.....and am still trying to picture it in my head.....:? Think of the headline if there was a fire or some crazy mishap in a dealer or wholesaleers house......
"3000+ spiders and hundreds of insects were found...." LOL.....I could only imagine.
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There are many reasons why a person would wind up with many animals, besides actual "hoarding". The people with the 800 dogs were operating a classic puppy mill, breeding dogs en masse for a living. Given the conditions, I'm surprised that the dogs shown in connection with that bust were in such good shape and were actually clean, healthy-looking little dogs. I cannot fathom the work it must have taken to keep them that way.
The MSN article explains that a true animal hoarder is not a breeder, but usually someone who starts taking in animals because they feel sorry for them, and believe that only they can do this properly and that the animals would die without them. It's a caregiving instinct gone haywire, basically. They neglect themselves and their own health and well-being to make room for the animals. Most of the animals they originally take in are strays or unwanted pets, so the person feels that they are saving the lives of the animals they keep, and that they are the only one who really understands or cares about the animals. That's different from someone who collects specific types of animals, like tarantulas, for instance, or from someone who is exploiting the animals for financial gain, like a commercial dog breeder.
The big problem is that many AR organizations and AC officers consider anyone with more than three or four animals, of ANY species, to be a "hoarder", and more and more across the country we've seen pet limit laws being passed. These do not just include dogs or cats, but any species, including fish. That's right-fish. In several recent busts of "animal hoarders", the AC officers actually including tropical fish in aquariums or Koi and goldfish in outdoor ponds(or ESTIMATED-it's tough to actually count live fish that are swimming around) in order to inflate animal numbers. Thus, a family caught with three cats, two dogs and 75 assorted tropical fish and Koi can really be made to look like crazies who have 80 animals living in and around their home. Fish and farm animals, like goats or chickens, are the darlings of the "animal cops" because they're usually kept in large numbers, anyway, so their numbers work to the advantage of those trying to portray most animal keepers as "hoarders" and abusers. They make no distinction between actual pets or animals kept primarily as decorations(which I consider fish to be, for the most part)or animals being kept for egg production, milk, or meat.
pitbulllady
The MSN article explains that a true animal hoarder is not a breeder, but usually someone who starts taking in animals because they feel sorry for them, and believe that only they can do this properly and that the animals would die without them. It's a caregiving instinct gone haywire, basically. They neglect themselves and their own health and well-being to make room for the animals. Most of the animals they originally take in are strays or unwanted pets, so the person feels that they are saving the lives of the animals they keep, and that they are the only one who really understands or cares about the animals. That's different from someone who collects specific types of animals, like tarantulas, for instance, or from someone who is exploiting the animals for financial gain, like a commercial dog breeder.
The big problem is that many AR organizations and AC officers consider anyone with more than three or four animals, of ANY species, to be a "hoarder", and more and more across the country we've seen pet limit laws being passed. These do not just include dogs or cats, but any species, including fish. That's right-fish. In several recent busts of "animal hoarders", the AC officers actually including tropical fish in aquariums or Koi and goldfish in outdoor ponds(or ESTIMATED-it's tough to actually count live fish that are swimming around) in order to inflate animal numbers. Thus, a family caught with three cats, two dogs and 75 assorted tropical fish and Koi can really be made to look like crazies who have 80 animals living in and around their home. Fish and farm animals, like goats or chickens, are the darlings of the "animal cops" because they're usually kept in large numbers, anyway, so their numbers work to the advantage of those trying to portray most animal keepers as "hoarders" and abusers. They make no distinction between actual pets or animals kept primarily as decorations(which I consider fish to be, for the most part)or animals being kept for egg production, milk, or meat.
pitbulllady
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You forgot to mention that most of them were CHIHUAHUAS, so the NOISE would have been far worse than the smell! I don't even think that the earplugs worn by the guys who work out on the tarmac of major airports would have been of much use in that place. I don't even want to imagine what 800 Chihuahuas and other Toy breed dogs would sound like, all going off at once, unless they were all de-barked. My father's ONE Chihuahua can make my eardrums try to retreat into my skull after just a few minutes; I've sat in the front row of heavy metal concerts that weren't as punishing!
pitbulllady
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I agree that some animal welfare groups often have extreme views on hoarding that seem to be based more on the number than on if the animals are cared for properly. But, hoarding (of anything) is a legitimate, recognized mental illness (though not a unique disorder), and animal hoarding IS a serious issue. More often than not, people who have their animals removed by humane societies do have a legitimate problem. Remember, animal welfare laws are pretty darn flimsy, and a judge is very unlikely to award custody to an animal welfare organization if the animals are in perfect health and beautiful care conditions. Yes, you get the odd case of an owner who unfairly is dubbed a hoarder, but it is much more common to see situations where someone has 50 diseased, malnourished, parasite ridden cats in a filthy little apartment. There is typically a distinct element of compulsive & impulsive aquiring behavior, a failure to meet basic care needs, and often overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt about the situation despite not seeking help and still obtaining more animals (I disagree with the article's sentiment that the hoarder is totally unaware of the dire situation; I've worked with a few and they often at least feel guilty though may not quite understand the gravity of it). It is a very serious mental health issue and I honestly pity those afflicted.
And fish hoarding, while you may laugh, is not a joke. I ran a little betta rescue for a while and on several occasions encountered people who purchased on impulse more bettas than they had the time, money, and space to properly care for, which led to them being sick, overcrowded, malnourished, etc. JUST like any other animal. It's fine to have your 70 tropical fish if you care for them properly, but IMO if you compulsively buy the fish then fail to meet their needs, you're basically hoarding.
Pet number limiting laws anger me to no end though. There is no such thing as "too much" until the animals' care is affected by the number, period. I have a quantity of pets that by number alone sure would look like hoarding, but they're also all better fed, cleaned, and cared for than the pets of most folks I know with only one or two critters. That's why I intend on moving to an ultra-conservative rural area where big government imposing stupid laws is viciously opposed.
And fish hoarding, while you may laugh, is not a joke. I ran a little betta rescue for a while and on several occasions encountered people who purchased on impulse more bettas than they had the time, money, and space to properly care for, which led to them being sick, overcrowded, malnourished, etc. JUST like any other animal. It's fine to have your 70 tropical fish if you care for them properly, but IMO if you compulsively buy the fish then fail to meet their needs, you're basically hoarding.
Pet number limiting laws anger me to no end though. There is no such thing as "too much" until the animals' care is affected by the number, period. I have a quantity of pets that by number alone sure would look like hoarding, but they're also all better fed, cleaned, and cared for than the pets of most folks I know with only one or two critters. That's why I intend on moving to an ultra-conservative rural area where big government imposing stupid laws is viciously opposed.
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