Animal Hoarding
Hoarding is a serious animal welfare problem that affects every community in the country… but hardly anyone is doing anything about it. It’s only when the hoarding degenerates into criminal animal abuse that authorities can get involved. Before then, it festers, with helpless pets locked away inside the homes of people who are often suffering from serious emotional problems.
With more than 3,500 cases a year, animal hoarding puts a strain on families, finances, the 250,000 animals and reptiles affected annually and the health of everyone involved.
Animal Planet is filming a new documentary series, that tries to find solutions to the problems of animal hoarding before it becomes criminal animal abuse. With no existing protocol, the series coordinates task-force style mediation by psychologists, animal welfare experts, veterinarians, friends and families. Animal Planet provides safe opportunities to explore the compulsive care-giving, digging deep into desire for love and paralyzing fears of loss to understand how the problem grew so extreme and to provide tools to put a healthy plan into action. We work with families and friends to help hoarders who may want help with humane placement of pets, veterinary care, house cleaning, psychological help to prevent recidivism, and other support. We have been successful in developing Humane solutions for both the animals and their owners.
If you know someone who has more than the typical number of companion animals, who is failing to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in illness and death from starvation, spread of infectious disease, and untreated injury or medical condition.
Is this person in denial of their inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling?
If so, please go to our website
Animal Hoarding Project
More information about hoarding
Animal Hoarding
Exploiting mental illness for commercial gain, advertising dollars and ratings is despicable. This proposed show is not something kingsnake.com nor our other sites is going to promote or let pass by without comment.
To entice people to come on your show to be exploited for your gain by offering the possiblility of veterinary care for their animals is cruel, and it's ten times worse when you KNOW that in nearly all cases those animals will get that care when they're seized by animal control.
Shows like this don't help animals, they don't help people with crushing financial problems OR mental illness. They are a sickening trend in the entertainment world. I sincerely hope not one person responds to your message, although I'm sure that's too much to hope. We'll certainly be warning everyone on our sites not to.
Christie Keith
Director of Community Services
PetHobbyist.com
This group is not only looking to create the next new trend but also will do extensive harm to the exotic pet community, something we here are supportive of.
Its a shame that a television show must plaster this information everywhere.
We encourage all of our "family" here to stay far away.
How is animal hoarding defined?
The pathological accumuation of animals was first described in [1981] and animal hoarding was formally defined in the public health literature in [1999] using the following criteria:
# Having more than the typical number of companion animals.
#Failing to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in illness and death from starvation, spread of infectious disease, and untreated injury or medical conditions.
# Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling.
# Persistence, despite this failure, in accumulating and controlling animals.
Please go the the link below for more information.
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/hoarding/
Now many have become nothing more than shock/fear/drama shows distorting reality for ratings and promoting negative animal interactions and husbandry for the pure shock value. This irresponsible programing not only distorts the reality of human and animal interactions but also promotes this bad behavior by misrepresenting animal ownership, showing only the worst. Why not show the informative and correct way to own many animals? Well, that wont scare or shock people into watching.
This is train wreck TV now with animals. I have been boycotting all the animal networks that show this irresponsible programing and have written to these networks to explain my displeasure. Shame on them!
Actual hoarders have pathological problems and need help--typically from APS and/or licensed case managers and counselors. They don't need to be dragged out into the spotlight for the sake of entertainment. I sincerely wish what you were doing were criminal.
Duggars aka 19 kids and counting
I have watched Hoarders a few times...and these people do have issues. Having their personal problems televised for the world to watch...I just can't see that being of any help...it may even hinder the person...make them more reclusive etc.
As for having a show about Animal Hoarders...I don't see how this show will benefit animals who are in such a situation.
As for how many pets are too many, you can't put a number on that...the only time the number of pets a person has is too many, is when they can't, or won't provide proper care to that animal. (and alot of times, for some people owning a single pet, of any type, is too much for that individual person).
I don't think this show should be aired... how about finding a series that is actually FACTUAL and not just cheap sensationalism...All these so called "Reality TV" shows are crap...its no wonder I stopped watching TV and no longer even have cable TV in my house...
Have a nice day...