Animal Hoarding

Animal hoarding is an issue in every division of society around the world (Donaghey 2011). Whether rich or poor, there may still be an animal hoarder living right next door (Donaghey 2011). In some situations there may be obvious signs that a person is a hoarder; however, others live seemingly regular lives to the public eye and the problem is growing. Animal hoarding is a growing problem because of the lack of understanding of the issue and lack of action.

The general public has a lack of understanding of animal hoarding. Many citizens do not realize that anyone can report abuse (Donaghey 2011). There are “…900 to 2,000 new cases [found] every year… with a quarter million animals falling victim” in the United States alone (Animal). If every hoarder has a neighbor on either side there are at least 4,000 witnesses to these crimes yearly. One reason for witnesses not reporting cases is the unknown fact that hoarded animals “range in species from cats and dogs to reptiles, rodents, birds, exotics and even farm animals” (Animal). Hoarded animals show signs of abuse which witnesses can detect such as heartworms, embedded collars, beaten, social issues, emaciated, or if they generally look unhealthy (Donaghey 2011).

The lack of awareness programs attributes to animal hoarding greatly. The Robinson Rescue is an organization that “educate[s] pet owners about the importance of spay/neuter as a means of ending pet overpopulation.” ( ). This organization shows children how they should think of animals so that they do not abuse their animals like a case in which the defendants argued “that pets are classified as personal property…” and that they have feelings too (Donaghey 2011) (Gunnarson). Few people realize that 354 animals are eutha...

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; Papa. "Health implications of animal hoarding: Hoarding of Animals Research

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Donaghey, Jillian. Personal Interview. 20 October 2011.