Hoarding – Beyond an Animal Issue
By Lorraine Houston of Speaking of Dogs
To ‘hoard’ - to accumulate, amass, collect, hide, keep, save, scrimp, sock away, stockpile, treasure.
Depending on the individual, hoarding can encompass a wide variety of items from books, clothing, newspapers, cans of food, junk mail, pill bottles and rocks to old shopping lists, animals and everything in between.
From the NeuroBehavioral Institute “Hoarding is estimated to affect between 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the US. This may be an underestimate as many hoarders often do not seek help. It is more common for hoarders to be brought to treatment by a loved one. Hoarding is quite a common symptom among people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Anywhere from 25 to 30 % of people with OCD report hoarding symptoms. Compulsive hoarding does not discriminate. It can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or socio-economic status. Although hoarding is commonly thought to occur in the elderly, hoarding symptoms actually (on average) begin between age 11 or 12. As with many other conditions, hoarding, if left untreated, will become more severe over time. It is also important to consider that all hoarders are not the same, with hoarding symptoms varying from mild to severe”.
Let’s take a closer look into animal hoarding specifically and the purpose of this article. A research study was done from 1997-2006 by the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium at Tufts University, to increase awareness about this complex disorder, which had, until recently, not received serious attention from medical, mental health or public health professionals. Known to animal protection groups and SPCAs for many years as "collectors", the depth of this issue is just beginning to be uncovered, and shows striking similarities to other forms of hoarding behavior which are better understood.
According to Dr. Gary Patronek, founder of the study, animal hoarding is a serious mental health issue that involves an individual or individuals acquiring more animals than they can care for and can be defined by the following criteria:
More than the typical number of companion animals
Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness, and death
Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling
The research study narrowed the field to three “types” of animal hoarders:
Overwhelmed Caregiver Hoarder - more based in reality, become overwhelmed by the number of animals that they take in
Rescuer Hoarder - mission driven, they actively and compulsively acquire animals
Exploiter Hoarder - feel no empathy towards animals or humans, acquire animals to serve their own needs
Excerpts from www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index
Hoarders justify their behavior with the view that the animals are surrogate children and that no one else can care for them.
In a typical hoarding situation, the hoarder will put their own needs to be surrounded by animals ahead of providing even the most basic care. Although professing great love for the animals, they are often oblivious to serious illness, animals in desperate need of veterinary care, starvation, and even death of the animals.
Few if any animals are ever adopted or placed, and new animals are never turned away, even in the face of rapidly deteriorating conditions. There are often substantial efforts to acquire even more pets. Some hoarders acquire the animals passively because they are "known" as a shelter or Good Samaritan. Others can go to great lengths, often pursuing extremely clever subterfuge to infiltrate legitimate rescue groups, shelters, veterinary clinics, etc.
There have been cases where very well done internet sites advertising themselves as a "No-Kill" sanctuary taking special needs pets was a front for hoarding. Unfortunately, owners desperate to place an unwanted pet may not ask too many questions, even when the solution sounds too good to be true.
The stereotype of an animal hoarder is that of a single, older woman, living alone and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Like any stereotype, there is some support in existing data. However, it is important to recognize that animal hoarding knows no age, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries. It has been observed in men and women, young and old, married, as well as never married or widowed, and in people with professional jobs. Hoarders often manage to live a double life, deceiving friends and co-workers about the true conditions at home.
Almost every conceivable type of animal can be a victim of hoarding. Reports have documented cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, birds, guinea pigs, farm animals (horses, sheep, goats, chickens, cattle), and exotic and sometimes dangerous wildlife.
Domestic species are the largest group of animals represented in hoarding cases, most likely because of availability and relative ease of care. Cats are very common and contribute to the stereotype (e.g. “crazy cat lady”). They are readily available in any community and easier to conceal than dogs. This could explain the high frequency of cat hoarding compared to other species.
Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Ontario SPCA) Senior Inspector Connie Mallory writes:
“Animal hoarding occurs in communities across the province. A complex disorder, it affects both human and animal welfare, is responsible for substantial animal suffering and property damage, and is frequently misunderstood and under-recognized. Thousands of animals in Ontario are affected each year yet, due to the nature of animal hoarding, countless cases remain undetected and unreported. Animal hoarding should not be confused with legitimate efforts to assist animals, including animal sheltering, sanctuary and rescue. The difference between a person who keeps an unusually large number of pets and cares for them properly, and the animal hoarder, is that the hoarder is typically in denial about their inability to provide proper food, water, sanitation and veterinary care.”
Ontario SPCA Senior Inspector Mindy Hall, a 20 year veteran, oversees cruelty Investigators and Agents across the GTA. She says she’s seen an increase in hoarding and it is not uncommon to investigate at least a dozen cases a year in the Toronto area alone. Mindy says, “Although cats are the most common species hoarded, I have also seen cases involving dogs, rabbits and horses. Animals in these situations, especially cats, are typically feral. Living conditions within the homes are not suitable for animals or humans due to feces, urine, garbage and the overwhelming odor”. She adds, “In some cases owners also hoard other items which further clutter the home. In all cases in which I have been involved, medical conditions in the animals are left untreated, causing pain and/or suffering. In most cases, the owner denies there is anything wrong with the animals or says they can treat them themselves without a veterinarian, sometimes using inappropriate products or methods. In many instances no one is aware of the hoarding situation until a medical emergency arises or the death of the owner occurs.”
She offers the following tips on identifying a potential animal hoarder:
Often a recluse who views the world as a hostile place for animals and people
Suspicious of law enforcement and isolated from family members
Covered windows, overgrown vegetation, gates, fences, no trespassing signs
Household conditions often deteriorated to the point where appliances and utilities are not functioning and proper food preparation and basic sanitation measures become impossible
May be rodent or insect infested, with dangerously high concentrations of ammonia odor coming from the house
She states that animal hoarding is much more than an animal issue. Dealing with animal hoarders requires collaboration and exchange of information between agencies and integrated community response – mental health services, animal protection services, public health, building inspectors, police services and veterinarians.
With the OSPCA act being revised and regulations added that include standards of care for animals, the society is now able to address these situations most effectively and efficiently. Where charges are laid under the act, the courts may now order the following:
If a person is convicted of an offence under clause (1) (b) or (c) contravenes subsection 11.2 (1) causing distress, (2) permitting distress (3) training, permitting animals to fight, (4) owning animal fighting equipment, structures (5) harming a law enforcement animal, the court making the conviction may, in addition to any other penalty, make any other order that the court considers appropriate, including an order that the convicted person undergo counselling or training.
Most offenders deny family and friends access to their home. Consequently, family and friends will unknowingly enable hoarders to continue by providing them with food or money. Family and community members can help hoarders get the assistance they need, while protecting animals, by notifying the Ontario SPCA or local police if they suspect someone is hoarding animals. In addition, anyone who is considering relinquishing an animal to an individual or private animal organization should visit the property first and ask to see how and where the animals are kept.
Lorraine Houston is a feature writer for Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! and the director of Speaking of Dogs, an organization devoted to education, outreach and rescue. She is an evaluator for Therapeutic Paws of Canada, an Ontario SPCA Cruelty Agent for the Etobicoke Humane Society and a Maxwell Award winner from Dog Writers Assoc. of America. Lorraine is an advocate for humane training, rescue/shelter dog adoptions and relationships built on kindness and respect. She and her family have fostered hundreds of dogs and found homes for thousands of others. Lorraine lives in Don Mills with her husband, two sons and family dogs. She may be contacted at lhh4dogs@rogers.com or through www.speakingofdogs.com
The preceding article was written for and taken from the October / November 2009 issue of Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! Newspaper (with the permission of the author and paper editor).
