Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pets suffer when owners can’t say no to more animals

By ANGIE JACKSON

For some pet owners, love knows no bounds. And animal hoarding –owning more pets than one can adequately care for — usually develops from love, experts say.

Mary Pelton-Cooper, a psychology professor at Northern Michigan University, said animal hoarding is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder among people who may neglect their animals’ need for food, water, sanitation and care, despite good intentions.

“They think they’re caring for their animals and it spirals out of control,” Pelton-Cooper said. “They don’t have the problem-solving skills to stop.”

In one recent situation, 13 dogs and five birds were rescued in October from a Monterey Township man with a history of owning exotic pets such as an emu and a bear. The Allegan County Animal Shelter has custody of five of the dogs, and more court hearings lie ahead..." More

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