200 dogs rescued from hoarder

[Tobi]

I knew a hoarder. A lady I used to work for a few years ago. Her house was filled to bursting with items she had collected. In the rooms of her house, there were 'internal walls' built from the cardboard boxes filled with 'things'. Hardly any light got in, and to move about the rooms, I had to walk through tunnels and corridors built from these boxes.
Gradually I got her to sort it all out and to give some things to charity etc. and paint thr rooms, and make things nicer. But there still was so much stuff she would not let go of, and these things went into her two huge attics (thank goodness they had steel girders in the floors!) We worked together for about four/five years. My job included her garden. She was a very nice lady. But something must have been seriously wrong....
She showed no interest in having any animals. Thank goodness for that.

[Catherine]

Bless you Tobi for helping that woman. I could picture it taking years to sort things out. You must have said all the right things to get her to let some things go.

LPC, I think you are right about people feeling empty and needing to fill the spaces with something. I think there is also a fear of letting the wrong things go. When it is just things, then stuff gets wrecked. When the hoarder keeps animals then it becomes a very cruel situation.

Since the animal hoarder can't seem to stop themselves the rest of us need to be more vigilante and intervene before it becomes horrible.
It seems to me that the hoarders are alone and unconnected to the people around them. Maybe that is the key. If we could watch out for the lost members of society maybe we could prevent all this animal suffering. If we will rush in and save the animals, as we must, why can't we help the hoarder when there is still time. Of course some people resist help.

Our modern society, especially in the city is very hard on the human spirit. Animals seem like the best way to heal it, but some people are unable to control the impulse to take in animals.

[Tobi]

Taking in animals is great when the person has social contacts, funds, understanding of animals' needs, and intelligence. Then if they put their backs into it, and get others to help, and set up charitable status, they can create a 'rescue'. But as it is hard enough financially to cope with one animals' needs, these people seem to let go of common sense when it comes to taking in any more....

The lady I speak of was someone with a history of loss of dear loved ones. And she had not been able to fully come to terms with that. It may have affected her to 'hoard' things -maybe as some weird form of security. I don't know. But when it is living beings -then that is entirely different.

[Catherine]

One person takes in more and more animals and becomes a hoarder. Another person takes in animals and founds a rescue.

I guess the person who founds a rescue works with the community and draws on the support of friends. They respond to a need to take in animals, but then they work to find them homes.

The hoarder may have some of the same impulses, but they take animals in and hang onto them. They withdraw from the support around them and do not trust it.

The rescuer is a healthy person with healthy connections. The hoarder is withdrawn in the first place.

Quote:The lady I speak of was someone with a history of loss of dear loved ones. And she had not been able to fully come to terms with that. It may have affected her to 'hoard' things -maybe as some weird form of security.

I really think loss is a factor in hoarding.
The responsibility to prevent hoarding falls on all of us. We need to watch out for people like that and try to befriend them enough to prevent things from getting out of hand. It is not easy because some people do not want help.