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Hoarding animals is familiar human disorder
(by Joan Demirjian - August 25, 2010)
Hoarding animals is familiar human disorder
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Those who work with animal welfare are familiar with incidents such as the one in Solon where 39 animals were found Aug. 13 in deplorable conditions in a home while the owners were out of town.
The animals included 25 dogs and eight cats, along with guinea pigs, a rabbit and birds. They were sick and diseased, according to authorities, and most of them were euthanized.
Local animal-welfare workers said such cases are referred to as the hoarding syndrome.
The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium is a national group of researchers who have studied animal hoarding in an effort to increase awareness about the disorder. Many characteristics of animal hoarding are similar to hoarding of inanimate objects, according to the consortium.
Sarah Westman, manager of Geauga Humane Society's Rescue Village animal shelter in Russell, said, "Animal hoarding is a recognized mental illness."
The hoarding disorder involving animals is quite common, Ms. Westman said. "And it is on the rise."
Often, it involves someone undergoing a personal crisis or loss, even a job loss, and they fill that emotional void with animals, Ms. Westman said. Many see it as doing a good thing, she said. "They think, 'I'm doing a good thing here, and no one can love these animals like me.'"
It becomes a problem when they lose control and can't pay for food and care, and it escalates to a health and sanitation issue, she said. But the person literally does not smell the odors or doesn't see the feces in the house as wrong and doesn't see that the animals are being harmed, she said.
Family or neighbors may notice and seek help for them. However, many times, people do not talk about it, because they don't want to get involved, she said.
Simply taking the matter to court is not always the answer, Ms. Westman said. Services of social workers and psychologists are often consulted. And if it goes to court, she said, "We would encourage counseling."
In some cases, agreements are made in which the person agrees not to get any more animals, but the person has to be cooperative.
The humane society dealt with a case of hoarding a few years ago involving 113 cats in an apartment in Newbury. The woman couldn't stop taking them in and did not have the money to sterilize them. They kept reproducing and finally a family member called.
Geauga County Dog Warden Matt Granito said the county does not have as many incidents as he saw while working in Cuyahoga County for the Cleveland Animal Protective League as chief humane officer.
"We would have a case a month," he said. It often starts with someone taking in one or two animals, not getting them neutered and having litters. They can't find homes and soon they have more animals than they can take care of, he said.
It consumes the person, and if the individual gets sick or can't take care of the animals, they lose control, Mr. Granito said.
"They are afraid to tell anyone," he said. They become reclusive. "When we would talk to the neighbors, they would tell us the person or people used to be outgoing and they became more alone. It is embarrassing for them."
Some who hoard are alone and use animals as family, he said. Often they don't have relatives nearby.
"We saw fecal matter accumulating in the house," Mr. Granito said.
In one case, there were 97 cats that had been accumulated over about two years. It was so bad, they were crawling inside the walls, he said.
If the animals are inter-breeding, that could cause illnesses. And one of the biggest issues when they are defecating in the house is the ammonia, which can cause respiratory problems in animals and people, Mr. Granito said.
The goal is to get such people into counseling, he said.
Bainbridge resident Sharon Harvey, executive director of the Animal Protective League, said there are different levels and reasons for hoarding. "We get calls regularly," she said.
"It's a sad thing, and it's a tragedy for people and animals. In so many cases it started out with good people with good intentions, and they don't have the resources or the ability to get things turned around," Ms. Harvey said.
"Some are just good-hearted people and didn't know when to stop. They take in more animals than they can care for," she said. "We see animal hoarding and it sometimes goes along with hoarding other items."
If someone is taking care of animals with food, water and clean conditions, it could be hoarding, but it is not necessarily animal cruelty under Ohio law, Ms. Harvey said.
"We go in and evaluate if the animals are happy, healthy and well-cared for and the conditions are adequate and sanitary," she said.
"We try to work with education first rather than going in and taking the animals, unless they are at imminent risk or suffering," Ms. Harvey said.
Sometimes, a person admits the situation got out of control. "We work with them," she said. "We try to do what is in the best interest of people and animals.
"In some cases, they are good people who get out of control, but other times, they are not good people, and they show reckless disregard for the animals in their care," Ms. Harvey said.
"Bottom line, the issue involves not knowing when to ask for help and when to say no to anymore animals," she said.
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