@nkjvcjs:
There is a big difference between 8, or 10 or even 20 well cared for dogs, and the animals that overwhelm the home and resources of a true hoarder. The standard of care, not the number of animals is the tipping point.
According to The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, the following criteria are used to define animal hoarding:
- More than the typical number of companion aniamls
- Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness, and death
- Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling
The thyroid meds, vet appointments, vet help with Dallas, surgery on Rocky's neck, etc. all clearly negate the second and third criterion.
I'm not here to hijack this thread or to get into an argument with anyone, so I will not say any more here, but just in case anyone here has to deal with a true hoarder, please spend some time at http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index.html , especially in the Intervention section.
-Nicole
Nicole, may I suggest to you that there are volumes of information on the net in regard to hoarding. The animals also do not have to be suffering for a person to be considered a hoarder or meet all of the tests either.
I posted links instead of other characteristics and tests, but there are several tests in different articles published on the net that I did post a link for where those tests and/or characteristics have been met.
Let me know if you want me to post a list of articles that will illustrate it clearly that you can read personally. The information below is from the same article you found yourself. Much more there than what you quoted.
This is right from the link below in the FAQ's
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/hoardqa_dt.htm
"Q2:
What are the demographics of animal hoarding?
A2:
The stereotype of an animal hoarder is that of a single, older woman, living alone and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Like any stereotype, there is some support in existing data. However, it is important to recognize that hoarding knows no age, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries. It has been observed in men and women, young and old, married as well as never married or widowed, and in people with professional or white collar jobs. There have even been hoarders among human health professionals and veterinarians and veterinary technicians who manage to live a double life, deceiving friends and co-workers about the true conditions at home"
Jason