This article over at SFGate, by Jennifer Scarlett (Co-president of the San Francisco SPCA) really opened my eyes to the issue of animal hoarding: Shedding Light on Animal Hoarding.
She talks about "therapy -and legal action" and share this image for a peak inside the way researchers 
Jennifer writes, "One very clear thing about animal hoarders is that they need intervention to stop. After all, most of them think they’re doing the right thing. And two of their signal traits are denial and persistence."
She goes on to state cases where hoarders are discovered and defend themselves, where they actually believe the animals are fine - when in truth, they are riddled with parasites or disease. Or, they are malnurished.
On one level, I feel a kinship to animal hoarders. I mean, I, too, would love to rescue hundreds of dogs and cats - to bring them home and shower them with love. But, I stop myself because I do not have the resources to care for more than I am caring for right now. I have three dogs and a cat. That is all I can manage. Even if and when we move to a larger house, with a bigger yard, I will not have room for more than one or two extra dogs and maybe one or two cats. It's a fact of life. And therein lies the problem for hoarders - they do not recognize their own limitations.
Jennifer describes three types of hoarders: 'the overwhelmed caregiver' who obtains her animals (it is most often a woman) "passively." Second is the 'rescue hoarder' who is "mission-driven" and who feels compelled to do better by the animals (and then doesn't). And, third, the 'exploitive hoarder' - who is "sociopathic: charming, manipulative, lacking empathy."
The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, mentioned in Jennifer's article, is "a group of researchers who collaborated from 1997-2006 to define and better understand the problem of animal hoarding" and which also shares resources on the subject.Including, links to places that discuss the issue. Including, this link to the show on Discovery - which seems shocking to me. A show on hoarding. But, maybe it's a good idea - maybe exposing this issue is what it will take to diminish or change it.
This video (click the image) is from a serious hoarding event, and shows how hard it is on the animals.
Reading about this has shown me that it's more of an issue of mental health, sometimes, than one of cruelty or just ignorance. Not sure what to do about it - I once knew a woman who had like 100 cats, but as far as anyone knew (I never went to her 'farm' so I don't know if this is true or not), she lived on a farm and the cats were not only well-fed, they were well cared for. I do know the vet I worked for vaccinated them.
I recommend reading the article and writing about this issue. Education - of us, the people who know about these things only tangentially, via the news. What can we do? What should we do?
Reading about this has shown me that it's more of an issue of mental health, sometimes, than one of cruelty or just ignorance. Not sure what to do about it - I once knew a woman who had like 100 cats, but as far as anyone knew (I never went to her 'farm' so I don't know if this is true or not), she lived on a farm and the cats were not only well-fed, they were well cared for. I do know the vet I worked for vaccinated them.
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