Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Inside Animal Hoarding

Animal hoarders go beyond being animal lovers.

For those who do it, it becomes a dangerous obsession.

"It becomes less and less about caring for the animals and caring about the animals and much more about what the animal hoarder needs," said Boise author Celeste Killeen, author of "Inside Animal Hoarding."

Killeen spent three years documenting the story of Barbara Erickson, an Oregon woman who was arrested for keeping more than 500 dogs in horrid conditions.

"The depth of denial really surprised me because to her, and I think to this day, is totally convinced that she took care of everyone those animals," Killeen said. "Under her view, those animals just had everything they needed and she loved them dearly and they loved her and everything was fine."

The Animal Planet show "Confessions: Animal Hoarders" documents similar cases.

Hoarders will live in the animals' filth – even develop breathing problems because of the conditions.

Psychologists are still figuring out exactly what causes animal hoarding, but many have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, depression, addiction, and dementia..." More

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