Who will take care of them?

The incident on Saturday, August 24, when 82 cats were removed from the Cochecton, NY home of Gloria Smith after complaints of animal cruelty, is not the first of its type in this area. In 2004, for example, a no-kill shelter run by Brother Victorian Mattison of the Lazarian Society in Cochecton was shut down after the bodies of 10 frozen dogs, who had died of exposure, were found in plastic garbage bags on the property. In fact, incidents in which individuals have been found to be harboring dozens or even hundreds of animals in conditions that vary from neglect to cruelty appear to have been occurring on an increasing basis all around the country. They are so common that a term has emerged to describe the phenomenon: “animal hoarder.”

According to the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, this means accumulating a larger than typical number of animals, being unable to provide even minimal standards of care for them, and being in denial about that inability.

It has been reported that Smith’s neighbors have called her an animal hoarder, but she also has staunch defenders in the community who see her rather as an angel of mercy, whose ability to care for her animals was impaired by a medical emergency that put her in the hospital for a week. We have neither the facts, the legal expertise nor the psychiatric knowledge to say which of these is closer to the truth; Smith is scheduled to appear in court, and we must leave it to the court to make any judgments on this particular case. But the incident is an opportunity for the community to reflect on a recurrent and thorny problem.

Unlike the dog fighting culture that has been brought into the national spotlight recently by the case of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, animal hoarding is not a matter of intentional cruelty. In dog fighting, the whole point is to see dogs hurt each other, and then to hurt or even kill them when they fail to perform. Animal hoarders, on the contrary, want their animals to be well and happy, and appear to genuinely believe that they are. The problem seems not to be malicious intent, but some kind of perceptual block that prevents the individuals in question from seeing reality.

Unfortunately, while the problem seems to be psychiatric, the condition is not at this point classified as a mental illness—and that may be part of the problem. It would be enormously helpful for the psychiatric profession to pay enough attention to the syndrome to develop a clear definition, and then research possible therapies. With such a definition, the community and the courts would be in a better position to recognize problems in the community, to be clear about the line between animal lovers who can provide competent care to a large number of animals and hoarders who are causing suffering, and to take action when necessary. And with therapy, it might be possible to help the people suffering from the syndrome as well as the animals they are hurting.

But another line of approach is necessary as well. As deluded as they may be in most respects, animal hoarders have one thing absolutely right: if your heart is touched by the plight of the millions of stray and abandoned pets in this country, then it’s up to you to do something about it. It’s not enough to be outraged once a year by a headline about the suffering animals. Those animals do not disappear from the world at the same time that they disappear from the headlines; they must either be euthanized, run stray, or be taken care of by the rest of us.

Most of us can’t afford to take care of large numbers of animals, but there are a few obvious things we can do to improve the situation. When you adopt a pet, don’t get it from a store or breeder. Get it from a shelter. (People who are actively engaged in breeding or showing dogs would be an exception—but they should go directly to breeders, not to stores). Support anti-puppy-mill legislation. Get your pets spayed. And give donations of money, goods like food and toys, or volunteer time to your local animal shelter. (See contact information in the sidebar). If the rest of us pulled our weight, the hoarders wouldn’t have so many to take care of.

Local animal shelters

• Humane Society of Port Jervis, 202 Route 209, Port Jervis, NY. pjhumane.org or 845/856-3677.

• Dessin Animal Shelter, 138 Miller Drive, Honesdale, PA. dessinshelter.com or 570/253-4037.

• Pike County Humane Society, 189 Lee Road, off Twin Lakes Road, Shohola, PA. members.petfinder.org/~PA90/pchs_frames.html or 570)/296-7654.

• Sullivan County SPCA, 104 Rock Hill Drive, Rock Hill, NY. www.sullivanspca.com/ or 845/796-3120.

Dr. Punnybone

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