I take a tougher stance than most, I guess, about animal hoarders. If they need counseling, and it's apparent that many do, then they should get it AFTER they serve jail sentences longer than 90 days and AFTER they pay stiff fines. Perhaps if others see that animal hoarding will no longer be tolerated, they might think twice before taking in any more animals.
Some do begin w/good intentions but I'm not buying that they just didn't realize how bad conditions became. Just a couple of days ago I watched a program about one hoarder whose house was in such deplorable, filthy, unsanitary conditions that I had to keep changing the channel. His furniture was shredded, urinated and defecated on, he didn't have sheets on his bed b/c they'd all been ruined, feces was a couple of inches high in one room and down the hall, feces was on his stove ! and elsewhere. His ailing wife had to move out b/c it was affecting her health so badly, especially after having surgery. We're supposed to believe that he didn't notice those things? And we're supposed to believe that he "loves" those cats but yet allows them to live in squalor and filth, w/o vet care and many of them w/URI's? Nope, not buying it. Charges weren't pressed against him b/c he cooperated w/authorities and surrendered the cats, even though he had previously ignored letters from them. He said that he was afraid, which tells me that he knew what he was doing was wrong and he made no effort whatsoever to clean his house up and care for those cats. That's where a mistake was made. He should've been fined and jailed as an example to other hoarders to clean up their act or pay the price. I doubt that he learned anything from the experience other than you can live like a pig w/animals and there will be no penalty for it if you cooperate w/authorities and surrender the animals. It made me furious!
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