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Proposed Animal Hoarding Law Questions Your Sanity

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

The City of Nashville, Tennessee is proposing a new "anti-hoarding" law that requires offenders to get psychological examinations. The law will target people with more than five animals living in unsanitary conditions. The city and state already have laws against animal cruelty, neglect, and unhealthful living conditions, but feels it needs to go a step further.

According to an article published in the Tennessean:
"Anyone who's living in those kind of conditions needs psychological evaluation, because no one would choose to live in a feces-filled home," said Judy Ladebauche, Metro Health animal control director.

"In their own way, they do love them (the animals). And it's a sad situation," she said.

Nashville Humane Association's executive director, Mary Pat Boatfield, said she would support the psychological evaluation provision. "In their mind, they're the hero," Boatfield said. "They're the rescuer."
Should we allow government to have our heads examined? The animals should be removed and put into a healthy environment, no doubt. But ordering folks to get psychiatric examinations is out of the question. What you have in your mind is personal to you, and is of no business to anyone else.

Let us be judged by our actions, not by peering into the very clockwork that makes us tick. That's no way to seek justice.

The city and state already have laws to protect these animals. Why do they need this one? If anything, they simply need more animal control officers.

3 Comments:

  • Animal Hoarding is a major concern.It is also a major gray area, for many people.Some fail to reconize it as a disorder, others feel it is a psychiatric disorder and should be evaluated as much as any other sydrome/disorder.

    I think inorder to establish it as a certified disorder we need to somewhat infringe on the right of animal abusers in the case of hoarding.We can gain alot of wisdom,from using thier evealuations.EX- What are the causes.Are these people different from people who have many animals that they are just too overwhelmed and "flight" instead of "fight" .

    Most often animal hoarders hoard other things as well not just animals,newpapers,dog crates,obects that may have no value to us but to them they can not part with it.

    It often creates a feeling of being overwhlemed which leeds to depression- Then ofcourse the person is not going to rationalize why they actually do hoard or why even start to clean up,and move things out."Pack rat sydrome" -

    It would serve not only people who are running experiements,or stats I can betcha that it would help the person who is the animal hoarder as well.
    Case being that once they pass over that line,almost as if it were (OCD)with the help of drugs,and or behaviour modification,therapy, are able to grasp not only why it was wrong to hoard animals,but for thier own well being, ( and for the people who also live in the household ( children- innocent victims).

    They are likely to recover, and over come depression/anxiety and face real life with knowing that it is okay to "let go".

    As it stands right now I am dealing with someone who has a small amount of animals but they are lacking veterinary care,and are not being cared for properly ( except) for feed.I am at my wits end helping her- trying to tell her how her animals should be living,and what they should be eating, everything.But yet instead of taking advice she rather do nothing but add more animals to her collection ( her house is in poor condition as well- pack rat syrdrome).As it stands I am working with a group of people that told me- "You can't go over there everyday and take care of her animals for her, it is time to call -- the creulty investigator in out county.

    By Blogger Jodi, at 8:25 AM, February 17, 2005  

  • Medical exams are used by police or D.A'S or even ordered by judges in a varitey of cases. For example drug abuse cases in which someone is charged with a crime and they were under the influence at the time. I feel that ordering Psych exam for animal hoarders and abusers is a step in the right direction. A step towards maybe being able to rehabiliate these people. I have an elderly aunt she has only one cat. But her house is a mess. She keeps everything and I do mean everything. Junk mail, school papers from when she was in elementary school as well as all her now fully grown kids stuff as well. Her cat gets fed a good diet of cat food. Its litter box is kept clean. but other wise her cat and her live in a maze. Just a path to get in her back door(don't even try and find the front door you can't get to it) and walk through her kitchen into her livingroom or into her bath room. The lady could take a bath in her bath tub if she wanted to. She has 'stuff' stored there too. What keeps her from adding to her pet population is her daughter and grandson. They are constantly trying to get her to clean up her house. She won't do it. I honestly believe she has a psychological problem that keeps her from throwing stuff away. She will say its because she gew up during the Great Depression and learned to save things because you never know when you might need it. She sees nothing wrong with having over 100 little plastic empty and washed out margrine containers stacked on top of a pile of other 'saved' items in her house. People who hoard whether it be pets or things do have an illness. One that needs to be reconized and treated. Forced psyche exams might help them as well as those around them.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:12 AM, February 17, 2005  

  • I am a Nashville resident and I totally support this proposal. We seem to have lots of these cases, from Jennifer Siliskis' maltese puppy mill to a slew of various hoarders over the past year. We do have several laws in place that do protect the animals of TN but is it enough?? I think taking another step forward is needed, we need to stop animal hoarding and if getting inside the minds of the accused will help put an end to it then I am all for it.....Hoarding as many others have said is a mental issue. Probably 100% of the hoarders have no idea that what they are doing is wrong or unsanitary. They think that they are helping when in reality they are putting the animals and themselves in a situation that could compromise their health.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:35 AM, February 18, 2005  

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