Up Close With A Hoarder, And More On Hoarding
AnimalCare 
Mar 6, 2012 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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In April 2011, we received an appeal from a rescuer (at one of our events) to help a lady who was described as an “angel” to animals. Apparently, this lady keeps many animals and takes very good care of them. At least that was what we were told. We offered our medical subsidy for spay-neuter and medical treatment, but the rescuer said we should visit this lady and ask her what help she needed.
We did.
But what we saw was not anywhere near what was described to us.
This lady was a hoarder by all definitions.
Her animals were NOT spayed or neutered (not a single one). She did not believe in spaying-neutering due to two reasons: (1) her own cultural beliefs (2) that harm would come to her animals if they underwent any form of surgery and she loved her animals too much to subject them to even the slightest risk of harm. I could empathise with (2) since I too worry till no end whenever any animal is put through surgery, but for me, I have to weigh the pros and cons. If there is more benefit coming out from the procedure, then we have to take that slight (calculated) risk.
No matter how much we assured her that spaying and neutering, though comes with a risk (as with all surgeries), yet the risks are quite minimal, she wanted a GUARANTEE that no harm would come to her animals. Madam, no vet in the world can give you that kind of guarantee, we said.
We also offered our medical treatment subsidy for her animals, but she said she had enough to take care of those. She only wanted food.
Since at that time, we did not have proper food subsidy rules yet (it was all done on a case-by-case basis), we decided to give her a little bit of incentive by providing her with a one-off food donation with the hope that she would relent on the spay-neuter offer. By then, I had even got her FREE spay-neuter for her 100+ dogs.
So, we did some fundraising and purchased some dogfood for her. Just one time.
A few friends decided to help by talking to her about spay-neuter. I talked to her again and again. Each time, she would come THIS close to agreeing, then she would change her mind and say “no” again.
A few months back, she called to ask if we could supply food for her dogs again. By then, we already had our policies in place, so I explained to her that we could not unless she agrees to spay-neuter her animals. The offer for free spay-neuter was still open to her then. She said no.
So, until today, as far as I know, her dogs are STILL not spayed or neutered. When we visited, they were kept in separate enclosures, many in cages. We asked if the dogs ever get out to play and stretch and she said yes. But looking at the faces of the dogs, my heart really, really broke. We were also told by others who had visited that when the mating season approaches, the males would go berserk. That is really sad. One wonders why someone who loves animals would want to subject them to such a state of being? If they were all spayed-neutered, they would be able to run and play freely in her shelter. Wouldn’t the animals be happier then?
When we visited, I asked (almost pleaded) if she could put some of her dogs up for adoption. There was this particular mother-daughter pair who were beautiful (absolutely adoptable) and they were looking very sad, forlorn and almost pleading to be taken out. If only I could have adopted them, I would have. They were huddled together in a corner and for many nights after that, I could not sleep peacefully just thinking about them. That look in their eyes haunted me, even until now. There is a photo of them in my post.
When I offered to get friends over to adopt the dogs, she was reluctant. Again, she asked for a GUARANTEE that nothing bad would happen to her dogs. Guarantee again? I’m sorry, madam, nothing in life comes with a guarantee except death. Who would dare adopt if you ask for a guarantee?
She talked about the various bad experiences she had had with adopters. Her dogs were not looked after well and when she spoke about these, she was close to tears. But she also had bad experiences with vets. She claimed that a rescuer had helped take one of her dogs for treatment, but the dog ended up being worse off than it was before treatment. Hence, her aversion to all forms of medical treatment for her animals.
I can understand that many rescuers must have had bad or even traumatic experiences in rehoming. My first pair of rehomed kittens died after a few months and the adopter avoided all my phonecalls. I’d never know what really happened. I was traumatised for a few months, until I pulled myself together and “came back to life”. Does it mean that I would allow that one unhappy incident to stop me from rehoming my animals ever? The Sunnies, the Blueys, Xiao Li, Teddy, Peanut and Butter found very good homes. Bandit’s adopter has disappeared from all modes of communication after she moved house, but I think she was a good adopter, too.
I can also understand about bad experiences with vets. One of our very first case was with a little kitten (I called him Caesar) who was trapped in a car engine. We rushed him down to a very reputable vet in KL, but Caesar did not make it. He did not die immediately, but he was kept there and nothing was done for him for two days. We asked the vets, but they said he had to be stabilised first. Until today, I am not sure if that was the right thing to do (perhaps it was), but after we insisted that something be done, the vet scheduled him for surgery. Caesar died just before the surgery. That was really traumatic for me. And it was one of our very first case, too. After that incident, I never stepped foot into that clinic ever again. Lesson learnt, though a most bitter one. So did I pound my chest and beat myself up because of that? Did I lose all hope and faith in vets? No, we cannot resort to that. There are other vets, and very good ones, too. Do I ask for a “guarantee” from our vets now when we send our animals in for surgery? I cannot do that – it wouldn’t be fair to the vets. Don’t we sign that blue (indemnity) form when our animals go in for surgery, and don’t we also sign a similar form when we go in for surgery in our human hospitals?
So, let’s get back to the dilemma of rehoming. It takes a lot of mental and emotional strength to rehome an animal (to part with it), especially when we have already bonded with the animal for a considerable period of time. If we simply cannot let the animal go (for whatever reasons), then we must have the resources to look after it responsibly for the rest of its life. That way, we are not hoarders.
If we opt to rescue and adopt (not rehome), then we must know when to stop lest we cross the line of “responsible caregiver” to “mentally disturbed hoarder”.
If we opt not to send our sick animals to a qualified vet because of previous bad experiences, then I think it could be a case of mental disorder.
If we refuse to send our sick animals to a qualified vet for treatment because we do not care, that is downright cruelty (as in the case of the hoarder we are dealing with right now – tough job, to educate her!).
All said, how we look after our animals remains our prerogative and our choice. Our animals cannot complain in words; they cannot pick up the phone and dial 911 to report animal abuse (don’t we wish they could!). They are totally dependent on us, their caregivers.
The choice is ours, and the ones who prosper (or suffer) would be our animals.
Be fair to them, please. Else, let them be creatures of Mother Nature again.
Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/03/06/up-close-with-a-hoarder-and-more-on-hoarding/
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