The Awareness Project

WHEN MENTAL ILLNESS DISTORTS THE PERCEPTION OF LOVE

‘If it weren’t for your husband, you’d be the crazy cat lady’ – a comment I hear often.

The issue of Animal Hoarding is often made light of by the press, and jokes about the crazy cat lady do nothing to highlight these devastating situations. Animal Hoarding is no joke!

Photo – GillyFace Photography

I have always been blessed to have animals in my life, and although I want every animal to find their loving home, I realize, I cannot bring ALL of them into MY home. At some point, the attention and interaction I can provide to each (individually) would become less with each new addition. I’m not a wealthy person. Having more pets also means more mouths to feed, grooming expenses if required, and an increased number of veterinarian visits (bills). I know that, if my love of animals became detrimental to me, or my companions, my entire family would stage an intervention.Would you know the signs of animal hoarding? Would you know what to do about it? Would you be one of many who do nothing?

Most of us are members of a family and visit friends and neighbours. Some, might be reluctant to report family, friends or neighbours or may find it difficult even, to seek help addressing the concern. Landlords may learn of a growing number of pets within a dwelling, and evict tenants to protect their property, but most fail to report their findings to authorities. In this instance, the hoarder relocates, along with the problem. Sadly, unless the odor becomes offensive or the noise excessive, most people don’t bother to report these horrific situations.

In this article, I hope to raise awareness regarding the issue and provide valuable resources.
Please share this information.

Although the case of a dog being violently killed is shocking, in animal hoarding cases the suffering can be felt by hundreds of animals for months and months on end,

Randall Lockwood, Ph.D.

Published in the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, Animal Hoarding: Structuring interdisciplinary responses to help people, animals, and communities at risk, Dr. Patronek, professor at Tufts University and his team list four key characteristics:

Failure to provide minimal standards of sanitation, space, nutrition, and veterinary care for the animals
Inability to recognize the effects of this failure on the welfare of the animals, human members of the household, and the environment
Obsessive attempts to accumulate or maintain a collection of animals in the face of progressively deteriorating conditions
Denial or minimization of problems and living conditions for people and animals

The mental and emotional state of an individual strongly contributes to animal hoarding. Although research continues, there is not currently an official diagnosis for this ‘condition’ listed in the diagnostic manual used by psychologists. Researchers suggest that Animal Hoarders are most-likely affected by Addiction, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Focal Delusional Disorder, Attachment Disorder, or a combination thereof.

In the (previously mentioned) publication, three types of animal hoarders are discussed.
They include:

The Overwhelmed Caregiver
These hoarders initially provide adequate care for the animals that they have a strong attachment to; understand that a problem has gradually developed though they may minimize it; may be socially isolated; believe it is caused by some change in their circumstances; have fewer issues with authority figures and accepting intervention.

The Rescuer Hoarder
These hoarders develop a compulsion based on a strong need to rescue animals from possible death or euthanasia; actively acquired animals and believes they are the only ones who can adequately care for them, find it hard to refuse any new animals, may work within a network of animal welfare people; avoids authorities.

Exploiter-Hoarders
These hoarders acquire animals to serve their needs. They are indifferent to the harm caused to them. They deny the problem and reject authority figures or outside help. They also believe they know best and have an extreme need to control a situation. They may come across as charming, articulate, manipulative and cunning. They are skilled at presenting excuses and explanations for their circumstances. They are self-concerned and express no remorse or guilt. They acquire animals actively and plan to evade the law, will lie cheat and steal with no remorse to achieve their goals.

Just as hoarders might not fit into a specific category of mental illness, neither might they fall, exactly, into one of the categories. Instead, hoarders might exhibit characteristics from each.

In addition to those outlined above, there is another category of hoarder that crosses the line into another dark area – disreputable breeder-hoarder. Initially, these individuals breed animals to sell and quickly become overwhelmed with the requirements necessary to care for the ever growing volume of animals. They are oblivious to how circumstances affect the animals.

The ASPCA estimates 900 – 200 new cases of animal hoarding arises each year, resulting in 250,000 animal victims.

Animal hoarders are not able to rationalize the situation, and it escalates to the extreme. Unfortunately, it isn’t until conditions reach this extreme point that law enforcement officers can gather enough evidence to obtain a search warrant. Sadly, these officers are unable to access the premises until a tragedy occurs.

The cost and time required to rescue, provide veterinary care (often resulting in euthanasia), rehabilitate and socialize, feed and rehome these animals adds to the already limited budget of rescue organizations. Tax payer’s money goes towards assisted shelters and legal fees (court proceedings and hopefully incarceration).

Hope for the future:
A growing number of municipalities have bylaws limiting the number of pets within one household. Also, some local laws grant animal control officers and law enforcement officers the ability to intervene on behalf of the animals when appropriate.

Research has proven that animal hoarding will continue at a rate of 100% without thoughtful and respectful intervention. Effective treatment of the behavior of an individual is only one necessary aspect.

Please be vigilant. If you recognize the characteristics of a hoarder or learn of a situation, report it. Early intervention is the key to preventing further suffering of animals.

Thank you,

Resources:

Inside Animal hoarding: The story of Barbara Erickson and her 552 dogs

A Comprehensive Guide to Animal Hoarding

Pet Abuse

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium

The Human Side of Animal Hoarding

The Humane Society of the United States

Long-Term Outcomes in Animal Hoarding Cases

THERE’S MORE TO LIFE

Courtesy of GillyFace Photos

As I flipped through the pages of the August 2015 issue of Vanity Fair, I came across an article about cloning. In the piece, titled ‘How Champion-Pony Clones Have transformed the Game of Polo’ we are introduced to Champion polo player Adolfo Cambiaso and we learn of the traumatic event that triggered Cambiaso’s cloning company Crestview Genetics.

Following a fierce match, Cambiaso and his beloved stallion Aiken Cura made their way to the stables. As they did so, the exhausted stallion went limp beneath his owner. The champion’s front leg suddenly gave out. Cambiaso begged the veterinarian to

Save this one whatever it takes!

The leg was amputated below the knee, and eventually, the horse had to be euthanized.

Before his prize horse was laid to rest, Cambiaso requested to have a skin sample taken by making a puncture in the stallion’s neck. The sample was then sent to a laboratory and frozen.

An identical replica of the prize stallion- called Aiken Cura E01 is the result of those frozen cells. The younger stallion has already begun to breed and is training for competition. Cambiaso’s company ‘Crestview Genetics’ has created more than twenty-five replicas of champion horses that are being bred to create more champion horses.

Founder of Crestview Genetics, Texan Alan Meeker says,

I did the math and realized it would take me $100 million and 50 years to get the quality of horses I wanted through conventional breeding,” he says. “I decided I didn’t want to spend either.

Breeders are concerned about the effect cloning will have on the market, and polo players are worried they will need to clone to remain competitive.

As outlined in the article, the body that governs polo competition is extremely progressive allowing breeders and players to experiment with any breeding technology that might elevate the level of play. More important, in show jumping or dressage a rider competes on one horse, but polo players often use more than ten horses in a single match.

The day before cloning, a truck from a nearby slaughterhouse drops off scores of ovaries salvaged from dead horses. The Crestview lab scientists plug their noses to cope with the stench and scrape out the enormous ovaries with a spatula to remove the eggs and place them in an incubator.

I abhor sporting activities that put the lives of animals at risk. Such as, the Kentucky Derby, the Omak Stampede Suicide Horse Race in Omak, Washington, and the Calgary Stampede are examples of such events. Omak resulting in the death of twenty-three horses.

What possesses people to participate in these abominable events and how can people stand by and watch such carnage?

Also of concern (to me), is the creation of ‘genetically modified champions’ and how readily it seems these champions are being made. I find this business highly disturbing. A process that could once mastered, be used to save the lives of many (humans and animals) through organ replication is being practiced to line the pockets of wealthy equine enthusiasts. $800,000 was paid for a clone of Cambiaso’s mare, Cuartetera, at an auction.

Another of Cuartetera’s clones – Cuartetera 01 was ridden by Cambiaso at last year’s Palermo Open. When asked why the mare was not given a name of her won, Cambiaso replied, “She is Cuartetera, not any other horse.”

Are these clones merely replacements? Do they not deserve to be treated as individuals rather than living in the shadow of a predecessor – with incredible pressure to live up to certain expectations? Individuality is what I love most about my animal companions. Sadly, loss is part of life. I hope children don’t come to believe that ‘Fluffy’ can simply be replaced and the process of cloning diminishes the existence of beings.

Will natural reproduction cease altogether? What will happen to substandard mares and stallions replaced by clones? Will these and aging or injured horses simply and without hesitation, be disposed of? How long will it be before the laws against human cloning are overturned?

When questioned about cloning humans, the men of Crestview are in agreement, no matter the gobs of money thrown at them, they’ll steer clear of human replication.

“The individual who asked me to clone a human was extremely affluent,” Meeker says. “Those type of people don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. They keep looking until they get a ‘yes.’ ” For now, they will have to look elsewhere.