Animal hoarding confounds police departments

[Liberal_in_LA]

Animal hoarding confounds police departments

Authorities say they try to get help when they find hoarders

By Wendy E. Normandy | Special to the Tribune
June 26, 2009

Hoarding issues


This kitten was rescued from a home overrun with cats, the Animal Welfare League says. (Tribune photo by E. Jason Wambsgans / June 8, 2009)

Oak Lawn police responding to an odor complaint were not prepared for what they found in a 68-year-old man's apartment earlier this year.

Ninety-five turtles and tortoises of various sizes were crowded into a dozen or so plastic storage tubs half-filled with dirty water. There also were 20 newts, 12 salamanders and numerous other reptiles, plus as many as 100 dead turtles and the remains of an 18-inch-long alligator, police said.

Rescue workers knew immediately what they were dealing with: an animal hoarder.

Though not a new phenomenon, animal hoarding has only recently been officially recognized as a disorder. That has led police and animal experts to become more knowledgeable about the condition and how to deal with it.

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Mental health experts recognize hoarding as a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The term "animal hoarding" has only been recognized for the last 10 years, stated a published report in the April issue of Clinical Psychology Review.

Another Oak Lawn case involved an elderly woman who had almost 40 cats living in deplorable conditions. The feces-covered home was declared uninhabitable by the village health inspector and it took Animal Welfare League workers more than 72 hours to trap and remove the animals, almost all in need of medical assistance.

Police learned the woman had no family members to take her in or help with the cleanup. The village relocated her to a safer living situation.

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Signs of a hoarder include window shades that are kept closed all day, excess newspapers and numerous bags of litter in garbage cans, and odors coming from the house or backyard. "All we're asking people to do is make that initial phone call if they suspect any type of animal abuse," Estrada said. "We'll take it from there."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-animal-hoarders-sw-zone-26-jun26,0,3321891.story

[madeline_con]

1. I keep the shades closed becuase of the heat.

The cops will be by any day now.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. I need to check your garbage for excess newspapers

[madeline_con]

3. Don't cat ladies keep those in piles around the house?

:rofl:

[MercutioATC]

4. Emergency food source?

:hide:

[ZombieHorde]

12. Hehe.

[flvegan]

5. It is a disorder.

We've had 3 or 4 high profile cases here in just the last couple months. 2 just this week. It's very sad and unfortunate.

[SoCalDem]

6. Lonely people who try to "do good", and end up overwhelmed

Kill-shelters drive some people to try to "save" animals, but the cost of taking care of so many, makes it an impossible mission, and at some point embarrassment has to set in, so they fear asking for help..

[flvegan]

7. So do no-kill shelters.

Limited intake is called that for a reason. Let's not blame open-intake shelters for this on any level.

[SoCalDem]

8. If there were more no-kill shelters, people might feel better about turning in animals

I, in NO way, blamed no-kill shelters. If there are stary animals, ans the community euthanizes "ferals" (like ours does), many people will feel guilty about turning them in, so that may be the start of their "herd".

[flvegan]

9. No-kill means limited intake.

I question if you really know what that means.

[SoCalDem]

10. There would certainly have to be limits on the numbers taken in

but surely there are shelters that do not immediately euthanize "strays"..

Whatever, I'm not gonna argue with you.. It's a sad story , no matter how it plays out.. That's why we spay/neuter and keep our darling pets inside, but not all animals are as lucky as our are..

[flvegan]

11. No "shelter"should ever immmediately euthanize strays.

Unless they were in extreme suffering.

It is a sad story, and no, not all animals are lucky enough to have caring owners like yourself.