dogs kept in horrible conditions
hoarder personality
how can people treat animals like this
pet hoarders
How Can People Treat Animals This Way?
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
December 12, 2008 6:59pm CST
I actually heard this on the news the other night of a 73 year old pet owner in Rockland County who was an obvious hoarder of pets. A person working outside her home complained of the stench coming from her home and called authorities. What they discovered were dozens of dogs, some on the main floor of this woman's home, but more in the basement. While authorities said the dogs all looked like they were well fed, they weren't well kept since most were caged up, never let loose, and were filthy with their own urine and feces that was matted to their fur.
Here's an excerpt from the article and the link
[i]Inside, police and animal control agents found a few dogs on the first level, but the majority were in the basement, in cages. The animals appear to be well fed, but had not been cleaned, certainly not for months, possibly years.
Police say the owner of the house told them she used to show the dogs, most of which are Shetland sheepdogs. The 73-year old woman, who lives alone, was taken for psychiatric evaluation.
Animal control officers say it's easy for people who breed or collect dogs to get in over their heads.
[/i]
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6548966
{Warning: This is NOT a referral link but a link to this article}
How can people keep animals in such deplorable condition? The video also mentions that the home was so cluttered that they could hardly get into it...so this woman was not only a hoarder of pets but of things as well. Now many of my friends know of "my" story. My mother was, uh, well, a wacko and was a hoarder personality as well...when she no longer had the financial means to hoard "things" she transitioned her hoarder instincts to collecting pets herself and I got caught up in the middle of it and none of it had to happen if she had taken just one cat to be fixed..I couldn't take them to the vet due to my disability but there was nothing stopping her from taking them. She actually thought it was "normal" to have so many cats..and no...don't ask how many...a LOT. Still, even though the situation was considered hoarder type, our cats were well taken care of (I did manage to find rescuers to take them and am in contact with the rescuers who tell me they are doing great)....the cats we had were never kept in cages, were kept clean, well fed and most of all were loved.
Anyway, what makes a person though who hoards pets to keep them in such horrible conditions like this 73 year old woman? She's being charged with animal abuse.
8 people like this
21 responses
@dreamweaverjan (3471)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Oh boy! That's just so sad {{Pye}} I hate seeing this sort of thing its in the
news here in my state all the time; those poor poor dogs!!
I just don't even know what to say really, its sad for the animals very sad for them
and sad for the woman;
very very tragic story!!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Unfortunately you hear of these types of cases all the time...even bonafide pet rescuers get it over their heads and have too many pets....like that Tiger Ranch that was in Pennsylvania where the woman had over 600 pets! Mainly cats...
1 person likes this
@dreamweaverjan (3471)
• United States
13 Dec 08
oH mY!! I hadn't heard of that one!! Goooooddd Lord!!!!
That would be cool you know if one had the means and money and space to maintain
that many but WOW!!!
I can barely keep the 5 pets I have fed, they eat like HOGS!!! (G)!!!
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
13 Dec 08
Hi pye,
It just won't go away do they? these disgusting stories about aninmal cruelty, yet another story I have read today, this woman must have been mad, I bet she had forgotten how many dogs she had. I am glad that she has been charged and the dogs have been taken care of. Bright Blessings.
Tamara
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Did you see the video? They really are beautiful dogs, albeit filthy and dirty with their own waste, but still gorgeous dogs...hope they can find homes for them
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
13 Dec 08
Hi pye,
Yes I did see the videa and I did think those dogs were beautiful but poor things, I hope they will find happy homes after them have been look after. Bless them.
Bright Blessings.
Tamara
2 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
13 Dec 08
If the woman has some psych issues she probably didn't know she was doing any wrong by the animals. Hopefully they will get help for her and for the animals too.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Dec 08
The video mentioned that they hauled her off for psych evaluation...but you're right if she was "touched" then she probably was oblivious that she was doing anything wrong..but do feel sorry for the dogs who had to suffer like that
1 person likes this
@oscarbartoni (2581)
• United States
13 Dec 08
She had these dogs as show dogs and she probably did love them but it go to be too much for her. She had no other person and she loved these dogs as she would a person. She probably did not wish to loose any "love" by giving any away but in the end she lost all of them. There are many people that get obsessions about collecting things, and that is well on non living things (as long as it is not affecting your health or anybody else) but when it comes to living animals (or even plants) and yo have too many and cannot take care of them properly then you need help of some kind. And this woman definitately needs help in a bad way.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Dec 08
I wonder if this woman had any family??? And why didn't they help her?
1 person likes this
@spiderlizard22 (3444)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Person has more then they can handle. They should give away most of them or all of them if they aren't willing to take good care of them. It is amazing that humans can be both kind to animals and cruel to animals.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Problem with pet hoarders they don't think they have a lot of pets and don't like the idea of giving up their pets. It's a psychological problem
@littleowl (7157)
•
13 Dec 08
Hi Pye I find this deplorable and sick...the poor animals being kept like that they probably over time thought that was the normal way of living, how disgusting..god only knows why people do this, if you keep dogs or any pets you are taking on a responsibilitie of looking afterr them properly..it leaves me speechless as to know what to say. But there is one thing I can add to this story..there is a lady on my estate married with a family..you never see her..she has 2 dogs, some cats, a rabbit and another animal..she keeps them upstairs in her second bedroom, the dogs as far as I know never get any exercise but do have a garden to go in, the cats am not sure about...maybe this woman does look after her animals..but how cruel is it to keep them in with no exercise and becing able to meet other dogs etc..it totally befounds me and often I have thought of reporting her but am not sure if I should...what do you do when this happens on your own front door...hugs littleowl
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
It's been a week since I started this discussion and haven't heard any updates about what happened to those poor dogs. Hope they can find nice new homes for all of them. That woman was no doubt just too old to take care of so many dogs and I'm glad though that she was to get professional help..she needed it!
As for the woman you're talking about. It's a tricky situation. Maybe she is actually taking good care of them..who knows? Only thing is, as much as you might wish to report her, she could make your life difficult
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Pye, you know that cats are different to keep than dogs. My cat is so easy compare to my dogs. My dogs get nice bath today and they are taking naps under warm cover. My affectionate cat is sleeping next to my dogs now.
I can not imagine to have more dogs. Like I sad, cats are easy and if I wouldn't have dogs, probably I would have 2 or 3 cats.
Dogs need to go outside for walk. Small dogs are OK if they have big yard to play, but big dogs need to walk at least once a day.
I am against cages in general. My dogs run fee in the house and always did.
I don't believe in cage training.
Food is not everything, dogs need much more than food and place to sleep.
This lady needs an evaluation for sure.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I haven't seen her in awhile, but I knew a pet hoarder...she claimed she was a rescuer, but wasn't. Another friend of mine told me more details of this woman. She was threatened with eviction scores of times...the animal control would come in and seize the cats and dogs...she kept them in cages. When things quieted down, she be back at it hoarding animals..and my friend told me that this woman would get the dogs debarked so they wouldn't make too much noise and attract neighbors that she had more pets again
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
14 Dec 08
Seem to me I saw this on tv think the program is called animal control or something like that.
One house they went into had sooooooo many cats an alot were wild took the I think it was 2 days to catch them all and they were hid and laying all over the house the offiders catching them had a lot of scatches.
and no ne showed up at this house to claim they owned the house
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
22 Dec 08
yup they sure do.
I just cant see it . When I had to move my dog went with me and finding a place to live was sort of hard tehn when Daughter joined us even harder with 3 dogs but we wouldntleave them or give them away they always went with us every where!
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Unfortunately there are a lot of similar stories like that...and in many cases the person or people that had lived at a home just walks away leaving all the pets behind
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
22 Dec 08
It does sound like she had some mental problems. The fact that they were fed makes it seem like she was trying to take care of them, but wasn't doing it in the right way. I've seen news shows in the past about people who seriously have a big mess of a house and save EVERYTHING, it's insane. Some people are just plain dumb when it comes to animals... they don't seem to think of them as living beings. I always tell those people "how would you feel if you were forced to stay in a cage all day?"
Well, it never ceases to amaze me how dumb people are about pets... especially when I have to hear on the news a warning to let you pets inside b/c it's cold out! Awful that people need to be told to let their pets in when it's 3 degrees out.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
30 Dec 08
Yes, the woman did have obvious mental problems...I mean yes, maybe they were well fed, but no way should a person keep them locked up in cages all the time
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45498)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Dec 08
Well, obviously, she's a few fruit loops short of a bowl...
And being 73, maybe going senile as well as (perhaps) physically limited in grooming the dogs.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45498)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Dec 08
Well, since she was used to "showing" her dogs, she would have kept them in cages during transport, etc., and maybe had it in her head that there was a show going on..?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Mmm...you have a way with words too..LOL. You would think she would have at least kept the dogs loose though and not caged up
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
21 Dec 08
Pye the only way I can describe the hoarding is the person does not feel secure unless they have all the stuff around them.
I have major depression and some days I cannot hardly get out of bed. Hoarding is like depression in a sense the person feels they are helping the animal by keeping them safe from others or the elements, which in turn helps the person feel safe.
I cannot stand it when I watch the animal planet and see the conditions some of these animals have to endure. I know this poor woman is mentally ill. I hope they can get help for her. I am glad the animals where well fed.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
My neighbor next door is a classic hoarder....but of things..she can't throw anything, and I mean anything out. Many times in the past, I would try and help her clean the apartment. She literally had garbage on the floor. So my instinct was just to grab all the stuff off the floor and haul it out as garbage. But yikes every time I'd pick up a piece of paper from the floor she'd run over to me, to see if the paper was any good..I'd look at her and say something like...this empty envelope is postmarked Oct. 26, 1989..uh, I think we can throw it out." Anyway, I'd get the apt decent looking, but if you were to step into her apt only a month later, it would look exactly the same....a complete mess. She does suffer from depression, but yikes I would think living in such a condition would make a person feel more depressed. I no longer help her clean the apt..I just can't as being in her apt always triggered breathing problems in me
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
30 Dec 08
That's why I never go into my neighbor's apartment anymore...like I said going into her apartment triggers off an asthma attack due to all the dust in her place
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
30 Dec 08
A friend's mother use to be a hoarder. When we would go over to her tiny home it was stacked high with boxes and boxes of stiff. You could barely walk though the house. the bed was even stacked high with boxes. It she moved wrong the boxes would fall on her and kill her I swear. I could not breath in her house it was so full of dust and who knows what else.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Actually these weren't stray dogs that she took in, but said years ago she had these dogs as show dogs...so they all must have been purebreed dogs.
@TessWhite (3146)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Well if you ask my 75 year old Dad he will tell you its a medical conditon. I have a bit of an issue with cats too. At one time I had 8 cats inside, and I feed about 12 strays outside. But the problem is my breathing issues. It reached the point where I couldnt afford to keep feeding them all OR breathe around them. So, unfortunately I've had to get rid of some of them. I'm now down to 4 inside cats, one of which my son will take soon. The outside ones, well I'm trying to get animal control or the ASPCA to take them since I am moving - but no luck. Dad says I was turning into a hoarder. I disagree. You see mine were all fed, had litter boxes, and soft places to sleep or bird watch. I don't "collect" stuff or animals and my home is clean. But, who knows. I'd say the woman meant well, but keeping them caged is indeed abuse. And in that she should have known better.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Eight cats really isn't that many...LOL..As for the strays you have outdoors...are they "wild" or feral type cats? It might be hard to try to capture them to bring to the ASPCA or animal control, which I hate to say will probably put them down...Also, one has to pay per cat to bring in for adoption at these places...none take pets in for free.
As for that woman..she probably didn't know any better as in her case her mind was probably "gone" to begin with
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
30 Dec 08
The woman has problems. I know people with 10-30 cats, but they mange to care for their animals. I currently have 14 cats and 2 dogs. All but one male kitten is altered.
My girl friend with 20 cats and one dog is a bid odd, but they all get proper care. Half are inside and half are outside cats people dumped on her. She can afford it. She hires me to sit for them when she is out of town. Yes it is a lot of work, but the cats all get proper care. Almost all were dumped in her yard before she got a huge cam aimed at the gate.
The woman I know with 30 in her apartment is wacko. All her animals are altered, so I guess it's not so bad. She takes good care of them at the expense of her health. She can't afford cat litter so she uses shredded newspaper. Everyone knows she is odd.
She also feed dozens of street cats in her area. I tell her to buy the $25 for 20 kilo of food that I and many of my friends buy, but she buys the expensive stuff from the grocery store and doesn't have money for herself. She says the cats don't like the cheep food. Hell I say, they will eat whatever is there. They are street cats.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
1 Jan 09
Holy moly! $500 just for one cat? Too bad you can't hook up with transporters...maybe pet rescuers do dog or cat "runs", meaning they transport pets from one place to another, even out of state...and if you can find the right one(s) often do it for free!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
1 Jan 09
Oops...just took a look at your profile....I had assumed you were here in America and not so far away! Wow...but that is so great of you that you do this kind of thing
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
31 Dec 08
It is hard when people dump pets on rescues or on animal lovers. I have more than I want because of it. I bring the best to America for rehoming with The Urban Cat Project. My friend runs it and takes them as a favor to me. It cost me about $500 to bring each cat on the planes. I really can't afford it, but I get stuck with way to many cats.
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
13 Dec 08
I think that this woman went overboard. She could not take care of so many animals at the same time. It was better to give them for adoption or to an animal shelter and keep only a few at home.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Unfortunately pet hoarder type people don't view having too many pets as a problem...they tend to think it's "normal" to have so many
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
13 Dec 08
Wow! I just watched the video, and my jaw was dropped to the floor the whole time. Those dogs would be so gorgeous if they were cleaned up. I feel so bad for those poor babies, and in a way I feel bad for the elderly lady too. She obviously couldn't realize how bad things were. I hope they find homes for the dogs if possible, and I hope they get that lady the treatment she needs.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I know those dogs were beautiful. I sure hope they can find new homes for them. I haven't heard any updates about this story or what happened to the woman
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
13 Dec 08
I am not really sure what makes people do this but I dont actually think that they intend to neglect them. I just think they get lonely and they take on too much and cannot handle it. There are a lot of stories like this one where people have way too many pets and it is sad to hear them.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I can't help wondering if this woman had family members...if she did you'd think they would have gotten help not only for the dogs but for the woman much sooner
@shihtzumama (290)
• United States
13 Dec 08
I agree with you she should be charged with animal abuse. I am a breeder or Shih Tzu pups and I always worry about them once they leave my home for the fear of stuff like this. I do screen all my buyers and I keep in touch with every buyer still to this day, but its very sad and cruel that someone would do this to something that can't help themselves and who depend on you to do things for them!!
Very Very sad!
Shihtzumama
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
Glad to hear that you keep track of the Shih Tzu pups you adopt out and are in touch with the people you adopt the pups to. I'm just surprised that if this woman had family members that they didn't seem to be aware of what was going on and would have gotten her for her sooner and the dogs too.
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
13 Dec 08
This woman certainly sounds mentally unbalanced. If she was a breeder, obviously she must have had some feelings for the dogs, at least up until her mind went. I can't imagine anyone sane doing that to those poor animals. It's sad when something like that happens. Obviously the woman shouldn't have been living alone. Makes you wonder where her family, friends or neighbors were, and why something wasn't done much sooner. Those poor dogs...I hope that homes can be found for them. Keep us posted on what goes on, ok?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I was wondering the same thing...didn't she have any family? And if the smell coming from her home was so bad you would have thought maybe her neighbors would have noticed it and reported it sooner. Haven't heard any updates, either about her or the dogs and what happened to them.
@LCHBheart (167)
• Singapore
13 Dec 08
OMG!! What happened to the dogs? I hope that they are alright. Well, at least she fed them... probably she just needed some help in taking care of the dogs, i mean, she is 73 years old.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I haven't heard any updates on this story so have no idea what happened to the dogs.
