The Tragedy of Animal Collectors

Cruelty can hit far too close to home.

A couple of weeks ago, neighbors of an elderly lady, concerned for her health, called authorities to check in on her. They discovered her in ailing health - along with approximately 50 diseased cats. The home was covered in feces, urine, and garbage, and the authorities stated that the stench was overwhelming. The local SPCA humanely put down all but two of the cats, to prevent them from spreading disease to the other animals at the shelter. The two remaining cats were put into isolation where they were being evaluated.

Unfortunately, this type of neglect and cruelty is not that uncommon. Within the last year or so:

• Two elderly sisters were found with nearly 200 dead and diseased cats and one dead dog.
• Another lady willing surrendered several cats, acknowledging that she simply did not have the resources to properly care for them. She took the initiative to try to "do the right thing". This type of voluntary surrender is rare.
• An elderly lady was found with over 20 Pomeranians in her "care". They were all ill, and were taken to the local humane society. Some were too sick and died, even with vet care; others were eventually adopted into new homes.

The cases mentioned above are just a small fraction of what happens far too often. The "keeper" of the animals, called "animal collectors", are often portrayed by the media as being loving "pet parents" who think of their pets as a part of their families.

Concerned citizens become outraged at the perceived heavy-handedness of the authorities; after all, how can they heartlessly separate the pet parent from their beloved family?

Now, I'm no psychologist and certainly no expert on the human mind. But I have to say that I just cannot fathom how someone who is supposed to love animals can cause them such suffering.

You see, I volunteer at the humane society that took in those Pomeranians. I saw the dogs with my very own eyes. I saw their fear. I saw their illness. I heard their cries.

And it made me sick. What's even worse is that it probably wasn't even as bad as what shelter staff have been exposed to in the past (or will be exposed to in the future).

What amazed me was how many people rallied around the lady who owned the dogs. They converged upon her home, cleaned it up, provided her with new furniture ... all in an effort to show the authorities that her place was now "fit for living". What was the point? They felt that she deserved better: they felt that she should have some of the dogs, her "family", returned to her!

I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to help her or others like her. If it can be done, it should be done.

But we shouldn't aggravate the situation by allowing a known animal collector to have pets again. These pets, no matter how much the collector claims to love them, are in very real danger. Animal collectors are known to have high relapse rates: that means that even if they've had their pets taken away once, they may go ahead and start collecting large numbers of animals again - animals that they are not equipped to care for.

I don't know what the answer is. But until someone finds a way to prevent animal collection, all we can do is try to help in whatever small way we can. It CAN happen in your neighborhood; it happened in mine. If you have reason to believe that you know of an animal collector, I encourage you to discuss the situation with your local humane society. Some indicators may include:

• A strong urine or feces smell, detectable from outside the home;
• An unusually large number of animals are always around, skulking around the house or scurrying about within the home;
• New animals seem to be appearing around the home regularly, or too often.
• Large piles of garbage, newspapers, or other material - animal collectors sometimes collect things other than just animals.

By placing that one phone call, you may be saving the lives of the animals contained within the home and preventing them from needless suffering. Every pet deserves a happy home; let's all do our parts.
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