Tuesday, June 2, 2009

OPINION: Animal rescuers in denial about hoarding

By: Maryann Mott

Hoarding cases are once again making headlines.

This past week, humane officers with Second Chance Rescue Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, confiscated 22 cats and 15 dogs from squalid conditions at two properties in Yankton County. From the local TV station’s website:

Experts say pet hoarding is unique, because it starts out with someone who loves a pet so much, they want to bring it home. But when the situation gets out of hand, the very pets they love, are now put in danger.

It didn’t take long for humane officers with Second Chance Rescue Center to figure out what was going on inside the Yankton home.

Dana Wigg with Second Chance says, “It was a pretty awful hoarding situation is what it was. This person definitely loved all her animals, but she did not have the financial resources to be able to take care of them. it was pretty unfortunate.”

Via Behind Closed Doors: Hoarding Pets

Oh, please! Animal rescuers, like Wigg, are in serious denial when it comes to hoarding. Not only do I see quotes like this time and time again in other reported cases, I’ve interviewed way too many rescue people who make the same pathetic excuses as to why so-called ‘animal lovers’ are found with dead, and dying pets on their property.

It’s animal cruelty. Period. Stop defending them..." More