Animal hoarding: loving them to death

A stereotypical animal hoarder is usually a single, middle-aged woman who lives alone with her cats. In reality, there are no specific characteristics that classify hoarders – except that they sometimes house more animals than they can possibly sustain.

            The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) has defined the term "animal hoarding"; It describes any individual who has acquired more than the typical number of companion animals, fails to provide adequate living conditions, and consistently denies his or her own failure to do so.

            Two cases of animal hoarding were discovered in Wake County in June; One involved a man who had acquired 34 dogs, while the other situation contained a woman who shared her home with 29 cats. Animal Planet made arrangements to feature the two cases in its series, Confessions: Animal Hoarders. The dog-hoarding episode airs tonight at 10 p.m. and the cat-hoarding episode airs February 10 at 10 p.m.

Animal Planet representatives contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County to remove the animals from the properties.

"This is our first time participating in a rescue with Animal Planet," Darci VanderSlik, SPCA's community outreach coordinator, said. She explained that the premise of the series is to have the hoarders turn the animals over on their own free will in exchange for psychological intervention and help regaining control of their lives.

Upon arriving at the properties to obtain the animals, SPCA staff members had their work cut out for them.

"Dogs were in and around the house, kept together in pens or chained to trees or the ground," VanderSlik said. The dogs were thin but not emaciated.

"It was obvious that he went to great lengths to feed his dogs," VanderSlik said. "Even if that meant going out to get roadkill." One dog, Max, had broken his leg. The owner, unable to afford appropriate vet care for the dog, had created a homemade splint in an effort to heal the bone.

The woman who owned 29 cats also seemed to care a great deal about her pets, according to VanderSlik. "All of her cats had been fixed," VanderSlik said. The woman had done all she knew to do to care for her cats but had simply become overwhelmed, providing less than ideal living conditions for these felines.

            Upon being rescued, the cats were taken to the SPCA and given up for adoption. Only two cats, Winslow and Winnie, have yet to find a loving home.

            Most of the dogs are being re-homed as well. Many had to undergo behavioral modification treatment as the lack of interaction with humans and life on a chain has left them unsociable.

            Although unable to provide adequate living conditions for his canines, the man exhibited a great deal of love for them, VanderSlik said.

            "He was very attached to the dogs," VanderSilk said. "Yes, [hoarding] is a mental illness, but he tried his hardest and just became overwhelmed."

             Kelli Ferris, professor of clinical sciences at NC State, has a different perspective on animal hoarders' motivation. She said hoarding is an effort to fill some void in their lives and must be treated as a mental health issue.

            "The animals make them feel good in some way," Ferris said. "But they have no insight or empathy to the conditions that the animals are living in."

            Hoarders acquire a greater number of animals than they are capable, emotionally or monetarily, of caring for. They're unable to provide adequate living conditions, ample nutrition, or quality medical care for their pets.

           Ferris trains animal control officers to deal with animal hoarding situations. In her experience, she has seen as many as 600 animals on a single property and has dealt with a variety of species, from horses to parrots. She has observed many individuals who, upon giving up their pets, later relapsed and resorted to animal hoarding again.

            "No matter what the motivation, there is a recidivism rate of nearly 100 percent," Ferris said, meaning hoarders will hoard again unless prevented by some legal action.

            According to HARC, "animal hoarding is likely a final common pathway from a variety of traumatic experiences which result in dysfunctional attachment styles in people and lead to compulsive and addictive behavior."