Animal Hording

[hpkingjr]

Animal Hoarding: What caseworkers
need to know
MASSHOUSING Community Services Conference, 2007
Gary J. Patronek, VMD, PhD
Animal hoarding, like other forms of hoarding behavior, can be devastating to families,
put elders and children at risk, and incur significant cost for clean-up or demolition. The
behavior remains poorly understood, but we believe it is qualitatively different from the
hoarding of [inanimate] objects. Clinical evaluations also indicate that animal hoarding is
often associated with a wide variety of psychological disorders, and with the more
severe disorders (e.g., borderline personality) in particular. This complicates
intervention. Animal hoarding crosses all socioeconomic boundaries, although it does
remain statistically more frequent in older, isolated, socioeconomically disadvantaged
women. It is not uncommon for hoarders to present themselves as legitimate animal
sheltering, sanctuary, or rescue groups. It is important to distinguish animal hoarding
from these legitimate and commendable efforts, which put the needs of animals first.
Animal hoarding is a very heterogeneous behavior. Three preliminary types of hoarders
have been identified. These are described in the table below. The value of this
preliminary typology is that it can help guide intervention strategies. For example, the
overwhelmed caregiver is more likely to respond to a softer, more therapeuticallyoriented
approach. S/he has greater insight that the situation is out of control, and may
actually find some relief at the prospect of help and downsizing. At the opposite end of
the spectrum is the exploiter hoarder. These individuals are in extreme denial, and will
resist any attempts to intervene in a very aggressive manner. They are much less likely
to be intimated by the possibility of prosecution and legal penalties.
Overwhelmed caregiver Rescuer hoarder Exploiter hoarder
• Some awareness,
more reality-based
• More passive
acquisition
• Problems triggered
by change in
circumstance
• Unable to problemsolve
effectively
• Animals are family
members
• Likely to be socially
isolated
• Self-esteem linked
to role as caregiver
• Fewer issues with
authorities
• Mission leading to
unavoidable
compulsion
• Fear of death
• More active vs.
passive acquisition
• S/he is the only one
who can provide
care
• Rescue-followed-by
adoption becomes
rescue-only care
• May have extensive
network of enablers
or group
• Not as likely to live
with the animals
• Tends to have
sociopathic
characteristics
• Lacks empathy for
people or animals
• Indifferent to harm
caused
• Rejects outsiders’
concerns
• Superficial charm
and charisma
• Lacks guilt /remorse
• Manipulative and
cunning
• Adopts role of
expert with need to
control
2
Role of animals
The strong attachment to animals and professed desire to help, coupled with denial of
the actual conditions (which may include illness, injury, starvation, suffering, and death),
is incompatible with any known theory of the human-animal bond. Thus, the nature of
the bond in animal hoarding must be understood in order to gain insight into this very
aberrant form of expression.
A recent study by Sue Ellen Brown (Companion animals as self-objects. Anthrozoos 2007; 20:329 –
343.) explored how the human-animal bond could be understood through the lens of selfpsychology.
She used interviews with animal rescuers to explore the relationship with
animals in this highly-bonded, mission-driven sample. Her findings were that animals
were perceived as intensely focused on the person; were adept at reading non-verbal
cues; unable to judge, criticize, or give advice; and could not disagree with the person’s
interpretation of how the animal felt or what it wanted. This information is similar to
information gleaned from clinical assessments and structured interviews of animal
hoarders, and may help to illuminate the entry point to their worldview.
Research has demonstrated that, in normally functioning families, pets can play
important supporting roles as confidants for children, with whom they can share secrets,
learn nurturance, and derive emotional support. It is easy to envision how this positive
relationship could be exaggerated and distorted if circumstances forced the animal as
the primary form of support for a child in a dysfunctional family. Not surprisingly, it is
quite common for animal hoarders to report very dysfunctional childhoods, characterized
by inconsistent and absent parenting, and sometimes outright abuse, with animals as
the only stable fixture.
It is well established that a history of an abusive, traumatic or dysfunctional childhood is
correlated with a disordered attachment style, which, in turn, can result in a controlling
pattern of relationships. One way control can be manifested in adult relationships is
through compulsive caregiving. In this behavior pattern, a person selects someone with
a sad or difficult life, and provides care obsessively, irrespective of whether the care is
wanted or needed. This kind of behavior often characterizes the caregiving style of
animal hoarders. Other forms of control in hoarding include refusal to adopt, rejection of
expert opinion about proper animal care and the legitimate interest of authorities, refusal
of help, and sometimes the saving of dead bodies. Control over health, and even life
itself, can be expressed through pseudo ‘hospice’ efforts, in which animals with terminal
medical conditions are sought and hoarded in lieu of euthanasia.
Intervention
Intervention in animal hoarding cases has been described in much more depth
elsewhere (http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/p ... Report.pdf). In most cases,
it would be wise for caseworkers to involve either the Animal Rescue League of Boston
(ARL) or the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) at
the earliest possible stage, since these organizations have both the statutory authority to
investigate complaints of animal abuse or neglect, as well as the expertise and
resources to intervene. Both are very experienced with animal hoarding cases, and both
are comfortable with a multi-disciplinary approach that includes counseling.
3
Increasingly, mental health counseling or assessment is likely to be part of either pretrial
proceedings, negotiated settlements, or post-trial sentencing for animal hoarding.
There are a number of pitfalls that must be recognized and overcome in order for this
approach to be successful and productive.
First, there must be some provision for payment of the therapist. Animal hoarders have
little motivation to seek or comply with treatment, therefore willingness to pay is low.
There also must be some verifiable procedure for monitoring adherence, and it is
important that the type and duration of therapy be prescribed. Thus, there must be good
communication with the therapist, so s/he fully understands the scope of the problem,
the centrality of the animals to the situation, and the high likelihood of recidivism. There
have been cases where therapists assumed that, once the animals were removed (e.g.,
after prosecution), then the problem (filth and compromised living spaces) was solved;
failing to appreciate that the problem of filth and compromised living spaces was the
result of the obsessive need to accumulate animals, and not the cause. Jane N.
Nathanson, LCSW, LRC, CRC, a social worker with extensive experience working with
animal hoarders, has suggested that for successful counseling, the following steps are
essential:
• Specify the individual(s) involved in monitoring treatment
• Provide information about the role of animals in the situation
• Specify the length and frequency of counseling
• A summary report provided to the probation of officer or court
• Stipulate terms for monitoring during the probationary period
• Identify resources for payment
Summary
Our most recent experience does suggest that the OCD model we have previously
postulated is not sufficient to explain animal hoarding behavior or guide treatment and
intervention. In particular, it falls short with respect to the caregiving aspect, aspects of
interaction with a living being, and the high frequency of complicating co-morbid
psychological disorders associated with animal hoarding. There is, however, significant
symptomatic overlap with dissociative symptoms which, are common secondary to
trauma, including major dysfunction in work, social, and daily activities, reduced
awareness of surroundings, and impaired ability to form close relationships with people.
Circumstances during intervening years between childhood trauma and deterioration into
animal hoarding remain to be clarified, as most of our data are cross-sectional in nature,
generally only from around the time of discovery. However, two recurrent themes
surrounding onset in our case series include triggering events (such as a loss of a
stabilizing relationship, economic hardship, major health issues or other trauma) and a
response of complicated grief. Animal hoarding likely results from a complex interaction
of disordered attachment, addictive behavior patterns, compulsive caregiving,
dissociation, self-regulatory defects, and orbito-frontal dysfunction arising out of early
childhood experiences. How this milieu is expressed is likely influenced by adult coping
styles with respect to loss and the unpredictable effects of triggering events. Given
these uncertainties, intervention and treatment require a highly individualized approach