Confessions: Animal Hoarding

[Golden Girls]

Premiering Wednesday, July 21 at 9PM ET/PT, Animal Planet's new six-part series explains what's behind animal hoarding, which affects an estimated 250,000 animals annually. In many cases, it goes unrecognized until it becomes a crime - till now http://www.humanesociety.org/news/ne..._07142010.html

[Goldfields]

Sounds as if it would be interesting, but perhaps distressing to watch, GG's. Wish it were on here.

[Golden Girls]

Originally Posted by Goldfields

Sounds as if it would be interesting, but perhaps distressing to watch, GG's. Wish it were on here.

Taken from the above link: "Animal Planet has done many shows in the past that touched on hoarding from the perspective of law enforcement," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. "But never before have we explored the human side of the equation. There are human and animal victims, both in the house and outside the home, as personal relationships often are sacrificed in the name of unconditional animal love and companionship." I agree Goldfields it will be distressing to watch

On a personal level I know a wonderful and caring woman who rescues dogs but it's beginning to appear it could very well end in a hoarding situation if it's not already. Just from watching a clip from a woman hoarding dogs, so familiar hearing the reasons why only SHE can save this one or that one ... definately sad but hopefully some will see themselves while others could recognize or prevent a family member, neighbour or friend from becoming one

[TwinTails]

Sounds like an interesting show, wish I had that channel

One thing I know, as a hoarder myself, is to have a solid support system who will be honest and tell you when you are nearing the hoarding stage. Without my husband, the amount of pets I would have would be disgustingly high (along with the amount of junk I collect).

You don't see it yourself, to you it's ok, it's normal and you are doing good. To others, they see you starving yourself, your home becoming a pigsty, and animals taking over every aspect of your life.

If you don't have a strong person to back you up (by this I mean to bluntly tell you that you are hoarding), it takes over and eventually you simply give up and keep getting more and more.

Personally I have to stay away from the classifieds - free animals always wrench my heart, and I find it very difficult to say no to a needy animal, especially cats, rodents and reptiles. Without Gary, we would (still) be living with hundreds of animals that really wouldn't have much of a happy life with me (just too many to care for in one day, and it's not fair to the animals).

[Golden Girls]

Originally Posted by TwinTails

Sounds like an interesting show, wish I had that channel

Part 1 click into Casting video's Don 30 cats, Janice 80 dogs? Jack 45 dogs, JD & Patty 16 dogs, 10 cats and 4 horses

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/confe...imal-hoarding/

[ancientgirl]

I've seen snippets of this show, online, and I don't think I can watch. Along with my anxiety issues, I also have obsessive compulsion issues. Mine are not that bad, I've managed to keep myself under control. But it's not easy.

GG, you really do have those conversations with yourself about how you can bring in just one more, without looking at what the consequences may be. You always think, you'll be different, you won't get to the stage as other people.

[TwinTails]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I've seen snippets of this show, online, and I don't think I can watch. Along with my anxiety issues, I also have obsessive compulsion issues. Mine are not that bad, I've managed to keep myself under control. But it's not easy.

GG, you really do have those conversations with yourself about how you can bring in just one more, without looking at what the consequences may be. You always think, you'll be different, you won't get to the stage as other people.

Amen

[14+kitties]

Too bad it's not one of the stations we pay for in our package. Might have been interesting to watch. Maybe I would find out I'm really a hoarder. j/k
It's a serious problem. One that needs to be monitored and taken care of.

[BrownEyedGirl]

I managed to watch last night. Here is a recap.

First one profiled was a woman w/dogs. And I'm not sure how many, 6, 7, 8, somewhere in there. They appeared to be all small dogs. Anyway the dogs had NEVER been outside because she didn't have a fenced yard and was afraid to let them out for fear something would happen to them. It was sad. So consequently the dogs did their business anywhere in the house. One of her sons and her neice were very concerned for her health and her money. The amonia levels from the urine were high. And her paycheck would not last till the end of the month because the ONLY play she would go is to the pet store. She would end up needed help w/groceries because she never had any left over after taking care of the dogs.

So her one son and niece did an intervention of sorts. They were able to convince her to bring a vet in (since they had never been out, they had never been to the vet). So a vet came into her home and indicated she could smell urine and it was not good for her etc. The vet convinced her to let her take all the dogs and get them checked out, vaccinated and spayed and neutered.

In the meantime, her family installed a doggie door and a large dog run so the dogs could go outside and they cleaned up her house. Oh my goodness, the dogs looked so happy to be outside running around and chasign each other and sniffing trees and such.

The next profile was of a gentleman who was prob late 50's early 60's whose wife could not live w/him anymore due to a health condition she had (not sure what) that became dangerous to her health because they had 60+ cats. None were spayed/neutuered so they just kept reproducing. This house was a disaster. The cats used litter boxes but it appeared the most did their business wherever. It was overwhelming for the man to clean up after them so he didn't. He only had one chair he could sit in that wasn't covered in urine. All of his furniture, carpet and flooring had been scratched and shredded. There was urine on the walls, appliances, furniture. It was all stained (I cannot even begin to imagine what that smelled like).

He had received notices from animal control due to abuse/neglect. His family finally convinced him the best thing would be to let animal control come in to rescue the cats and if he called them it would be less likely for him to be arrested and charged (and they did not arrest and charge him). So they came in and began removing the cats which as you can imagine was hard on everyone. I almost got sick when they moved the couch away from the wall and there was a pile of pooop almost as high as the couch and a dead cat there as well.

He hired a company to come in and basically gut his house (clean, paint, etc), replace carpet and flooring, and get new furniture. His wife was able to move back in.

Sad and interresting at the same time.

[Golden Girls]

Twin Tails

One thing I know, as a hoarder myself, is to have a solid support system who will be honest and tell you when you are nearing the hoarding stage. Without my husband, the amount of pets I would have would be disgustingly high (along with the amount of junk I collect). It's great that you have wonderful support
You don't see it yourself, to you it's ok, it's normal and you are doing good. To others, they see you starving yourself, your home becoming a pigsty, and animals taking over every aspect of your life. This is when family members/friends should step in and help not pretend it isn't happening or feel ashamed and do nothing
If you don't have a strong person to back you up (by this I mean to bluntly tell you that you are hoarding), it takes over and eventually you simply give up and keep getting more and more. Good point

Personally I have to stay away from the classifieds - free animals always wrench my heart, and I find it very difficult to say no to a needy animal, especially cats, rodents and reptiles. Without Gary, we would (still) be living with hundreds of animals that really wouldn't have much of a happy life with me (just too many to care for in one day, and it's not fair to the animals)I too stay away from classified ads

From the producers of the hit serious Intervention *alone in a crowded room* where people hoards objects, it's clear that Obsessive-Compulsive/Anxiety Disorders is extremely complexed. This series hopes to define and better understand the phenomenon of animal hoarding and the link between the two.

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

GG, you really do have those conversations with yourself about how you can bring in just one more, without looking at what the consequences may be. You always think, you'll be different, you won't get to the stage as other people.

Not everyone who is overwhelmed and/or has multiple animals is an animal hoader. But when there are too many animals to care for properly living in an unsanitary cluttered environment and signs of self-neglect, that's an emotionally troubled person rather then (many would think) criminally inclined.

[Golden Girls]

Recap ...

Bonnie from Episode 1
Bonnie, 63, has had pets all her life. Conflicts in relationships led her to distrust others and turn to her pets for solace. At one point, her collection grew to over 100 dogs and the county seized them due to poor living conditions. Undeterred, Bonnie began anew, acquiring more pets, and refusing to let them leave her home. Bonnie can't live without her "babies", eight dogs she lets have run of the house, much to the dismay of her niece Paula

Update: Bonnie
It is really important that Bonnie's family continue to support her so that she can feel safe giving her dogs the freedom they need to go out in the yard without fearing that something bad will happen as a result. It is also important for her family to help her see that by also taking care of her own health and her home, and keeping no more dogs than she can properly care for, that she will not have to worry about authorities taking them away.

Don from Episode 1
Don grew up as part of a close-knit family, and as a young man toured and performed as a rock musician. He struggled with substance abuse and addiction but eventually overcame them. He attributes his success in staying sober to Linda, his wife of 16 years. Linda left to stay with her daughter Melissa and her son-in-law Paul because health complications didn't allow her to live in a home filled with cats. Don wants her home but has to struggle to let go of their 30 cats to make it happen.

Update: Don
From the Editors: We spoke with Don's wife Linda to find out about their lives after appearing on the show. "It's much better now because I'm home. There's a lot more to do, but it's home and it's pretty livable. We don't have 30 cats running around. We just have the three." (Rusty, Blaze and Harry were their three original cats.)

On What They've Learned from the Experience "We'll never get in that situation again. When you get in over your head, let somebody know. Let someone help you."

JD from Episode 2
Raised by her strict father, JD started bringing animals home at an early age, but her father would always "get rid of them." Now JD's world revolves around caring for her 27 pets, often at the peril of her relationship with her partner of 21 years, Patty.

Update: JD decides to give up some of her animals and she and Patty look to the future.



Janice from Episode 2
At one time Janice bred Yorkies and would show them too, but when a bout of cancer left her debilitated for months, her pet family grew. Taking care of her 97 dogs and 20 cats, in stacks of cages inside her home, has become a full-time job, and a major expense. Her husband, Don, has begun to withdraw financial support and Janice doesn't know where to turn.

Update: Janice has agreed to let the Humane Society take all but three of her 112 animals so that she can start a new life.

[Goldfields]

Very interesting , GG. I used to correspond with a cattle dog breeder in her 70's that I suppose was a hoarder in a way. She had 16 adult dogs. Must say she was an excellent breeder, producing lovely sound, strong dogs, BUT she didn't know when to stop. As she got older and more arthritic she found she could only show puppies in the show ring, as older dogs were too strong and fast, but this is where things went wrong, if she couldn't sell or rehome them once they got past puppy stage, they ended up locked in sheds. Anyone who knew her should have learnt a lesson. I would not consider a puppy after that without saying when it's 14, how old will I be? So, much as I love my dogs, and miss them so much when they are gone, it's a good thing my numbers are falling, not rising. I have 8 really good but empty dog yards here and could so easily fill them, but I know how much time it takes to give my current pack all the loving they deserve. Imagine how many dogs or cats you could hoard. 4 of the yards are 12 feet by 9 feet, the rest are 12 feet by 6 feet. They were only ever sleeping quarters for my dogs, mine still had twice daily exercise, plus letting out to toilet.

[Golden Girls]

Originally Posted by Goldfields

Very interesting , GG. I used to correspond with a cattle dog breeder in her 70's that I suppose was a hoarder in a way. She had 16 adult dogs. Must say she was an excellent breeder, producing lovely sound, strong dogs, BUT she didn't know when to stop. As she got older and more arthritic she found she could only show puppies in the show ring, as older dogs were too strong and fast, but this is where things went wrong, if she couldn't sell or rehome them once they got past puppy stage, they ended up locked in sheds

Very sad indeed

HLN's Joy Behar talks with pet hoarders featured on Animal Planet's Animal Hoarding series http://joybehar.blogs.cnn.com/