When clutter turns to crisis

By Stephanie Schorow

Hoarders’ private problems can become a public nuisance, putting neighbors and firefighters at risk and dragging down property values. Now several Massachusetts cities and towns have decided it’s time to get involved.

No one walking by the neatly trimmed lawn of Shirley’s home west of Boston would see anything amiss. Inside, the small living room has enough space for her son and his friends to gather around the TV for a video game, although the room is lined with plastic tubs stuffed with old board games and toys. The kitchen is another matter; the table is piled high with papers -- newspapers, magazines, documents, letters -- which spill onto the floor. Shirley (who asked that her real name not be used) can’t throw paper away, or not without going through every sheet to ensure it’s not needed. She also has boxes of other belongings that she can’t quite get out the door. She can donate clothes that don’t fit her, but only if her husband helps her decide what to keep...." More & video

OCD: Dog genes may hold secrets to human disease

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Scientists scouring the genome to better understand complex human diseases are looking to an unlikely ally for guidance: our pets.

Dogs have been an integral part of human life for centuries. It is precisely because of that intertwined history that dogs are a potentially powerful tool for researchers seeking the genetic roots of everything from psychiatric disorders to cancer - just two of the ailments that are similar in both humans and dogs.

Last month, scientists studying Doberman pinschers with a compulsive behavior disorder similar to human obsessive-compulsive disorder found a gene associated with the condition. The genetic hit is now being followed by other researchers, who are studying the same gene in human patients with OCD, in hopes the clue from man’s best friend may help explain the disease in people..." More

Jan 6, 2009: Canine compulsive disorder gene identified in dogs

A canine chromosome 7 locus that confers a high risk of compulsive disorder susceptibility has been identified through a collaboration between the Behavior Service at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the Program in Medical Genetics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The findings are published in the January 2010 edition of Molecular Psychiatry.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is characterized by time consuming, repetitive behaviors and affects about 2 percent of humans, while the equally distressing canine equivalent, canine compulsive disorder, or CCD, seems to target certain dog breeds, especially Dobermans and Bull Terriers. For over a decade, behaviorists Drs. Dodman and Moon-Fanelli, at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine collected blood samples from carefully characterized Doberman patients exhibiting flank- and/or blanket-sucking compulsive behaviors, as well as healthy, unaffected Doberman. In 2001, Edward Ginns, PhD, MD, head of the Program in Medical Genetics at UMass Medical School, joined the effort, enabling genetic studies that culminated in the genome wide association study that began in 2007 using the canine Affymetrix genotyping array at the Broad Institute..." More

It's the end of the line for greyhound racing in Massachusetts

Dec 26, 2009: It's the end of the line for greyhound racing in Massachusetts

The greyhounds will bolt from the gate for the last time in Massachusetts today, marking the end of 75 years of live dog racing in the state.

Voters last year elected by a wide margin, 56 percent to 44 percent, to ban the sport effective Jan. 1, 2010. Wonderland held its last race in September. Raynham Park stages its final race tonight. Both will continue to offer simulcasting - enabling patrons to wager on televised dog and horse races conducted elsewhere - at least through July 31, as a result of recently enacted legislation.

The end of racing here is part of a national trend, driven by a mix of animal-rights concerns, waning attendance at dog tracks, and new statutes enacted by legislatures and voters..." More


Dec 15, 2009: It's the end of the line for greyhound racing in Massachusetts

RAYNHAM, Mass. — Mike Sergio and his buddies Bob Foley and Jimmy Gorham have been going to the greyhound race track here for decades. Now retired, they come a couple of times a week and not just to gamble.

"It's kind of a social thing with us," Sergio says. "We shoot the breeze, we throw money in and bet, we eat, then we divide up whatever money is left."

"When we have money left to divide up," Foley interjects with a laugh. "It's entertainment," he adds, his voice trailing off slightly.

Greyhound racing has been a form of entertainment in Massachusetts for 75 years but not for much longer. The last card at Raynham Park is expected to be Dec. 26, and the state's other dog track, Wonderland in Revere, stopped racing earlier in the fall.

It may, in fact, be the last time greyhounds run anywhere in New England.

Activists who alleged mistreatment of dogs led an effort that resulted in Massachusetts voters banning dog racing beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Vermont and Maine also have outlawed racing. Twin River, Rhode Island's only dog track, is seeking to end racing as part of bankruptcy reorganization. New Hampshire's two tracks ended live racing earlier this year for financial reasons, and Connecticut's last greyhound track closed in 2006..." More

Senate passes Jehlen-sponsored animal control bill

The Massachusetts Senate passed a comprehensive measure Oct. 21 updating the state’s antiquated statutes that govern animal control in the commonwealth’s 351 communities.

Senate Bill 2172, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D–Somerville), provides the first significant revision of these laws for decades and contains several sections that would improve, with lasting effect, public safety while enhancing animal welfare in Massachusetts.

“The effectiveness of Senate Bill 2172 is thanks to the panel of expert consultants who aided in its creations,” said Jehlen. “From dangerous dogs and feral cat colonies, to animal hoarding and wild animals in urban settings, animal control officers face daily challenges. This bill will give them more tools and skills to protect the public as well as animals.”..." More

Family, cats removed from house of squalor

By BRIAN CRANDALL

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.—New Bedford police said a family was living in one of the worst cases of squalor they’ve ever seen.

Investigators went to the house Tuesday for a report of cats that might be in tough shape.

Lt. Jeffrey Silva said that was an understatement.

“The stench was absolutely horrendous. We couldn’t even go into it without putting on special hazardous-materials suits,“ Silva said. “It’s really like something out of the movies. We’ve never seen anything like this.“

Police were barely prepared for what they found: 13 cats—two of them dead—and floors covered in waste.

“It’s amazing that anybody or anything could live in there,“ Silva said.

The house apparently did not have working toilets.

“Very sad situation,“ Silva said. “Not only were there 11 cats alive that we had to take out of there as well as two skeletal remains of cats, but three people were living in there. A couple in their 50s and their adult son were living in a house that was in just utter squalor. Human and animal feces three feet high, trash turned over.“..." More & video

Shelter overwhelmed with cats from hoarding case

ATTLEBORO, Mass.—An animal shelter rescued more than 40 kids from a home in Attleboro.

“(The home owner) was getting foreclosed on. He was told ‘You have to be out and you can’t leave the cats behind or you’ll be charged with animal abandonment,‘“ said Ellaina Knight of the Friends of Attleboro Animal Shelter.

On Saturday, volunteers went into the home and rounded up the cats. Area rescuers were able to take some of them in over the weekend, however 28 still need homes.

“Surprisingly they’re in very good shape. Only a couple has sores. They all have fleas. All have probably have ear mites and they range in age from four months to four years,“ Knight said.

Currently, the shelter is caring for the cats inside a barn owned by one of the volunteers. However they can only stay there for a week.

“If every rescue out there took three, the problem would be solved,“ Knight said.

It’s a problem Knight said could have been avoided and an example of why owners need to be more responsible about the pets in their home.

“Don’t let things get out of control. Ask for help before it gets to a situation like this and spay and neuter your animals,“ she said..." More & video

Jehlen bill to revamp animal control laws wins committee support

WOBURN, MA -  A measure to update old animal control laws, sponsored by Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, has won a green light from a committee.

The Joint Committee on the Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources reported An Act to Update the Animal Control Laws out of its committee with a favorable recommendation.  

The bill seeks to update antiquated animal control laws, improve the mandatory spay and neuter regulations for shelters and animal control facilities, define and fortify the dangerous dog ordinance without banning specific breeds, and update kennel definitions. The legislation, which is revenue-neutral, would also create a spay and neuter fund and require that animal control officers receive uniform and comprehensive training.

Two local Animal Control Officers, Medford’s Patrick Hogan and Somerville’s April Terrio, testified in support of the bill at itsJune 23 hearing.

Terrio said, “I strongly feel that by adopting these changes it would effectively diminish the large number animals, especially cats and certain dog breeds, that animal control officers and shelters see in local facilities.  Every aspect of the bill is extremely important to Animal Control Officers, pets, pet owners, and citizens of the commonwealth.”

Hogan, vice president of the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts, offered support for the comprehensive training of fellow animal control officer.  Hogan cited specific examples of the complex issues he has dealt with in his role as an Animal Control Officer in Medford and Boston such as a loose pig, animal hoarding, and a gorilla who escaped from the zoo.

The Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts (ACOAM) joined the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), the Animal Rescue League of Boston, the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), and the state’s Bureau of Animal Health within the Department of Agricultural Resources in drafting and amending the bill..."  More

 Sen. Jehlen Pushes for Improved Animal Control

Jehlen’s Bill Advances in Legislature; Receives Support from Local Animal Control Officers

An animal control bill sponsored by state senator Pat Jehlen (D-Medford, Somerville) recently moved out of its committee with a favorable report, according to information released by the senator’s office.

An Act to Update the Animal Control Laws (S.406) seeks to update antiquated animal control laws, improve the mandatory spay and neuter regulations for shelters and animal control facilities, define and fortify the dangerous dog ordinance without banning specific breeds, and update kennel definitions. The legislation, which is revenue neutral, would also create a spay and neuter fund and require that animal control officers receive uniform and comprehensive training.

According to a spokesman for Sen. Jehlen, the bill is revenue neutral because its new training initiatives are paid for by dog licensing fees.

Two local Animal Control Officers, Medford’s Patrick Hogan and Somerville’s April Terrio, testified in support of the bill at its June 23rd hearing.

“I strongly feel that by adopting these changes it would effectively diminish the large number animals, especially cats and certain dog breeds, that Animal Control Officers and shelters see in local facilities. Every aspect of the bill is extremely important to Animal Control Officers, pets, pet owners, and citizens of the Commonwealth,” said Terrio.

Officer Hogan, Vice-President of the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts, offered support for the comprehensive training of fellow Animal Control Officers. Hogan cited specific examples of the complex issues he has dealt with in his role as an Animal Control Officer in Medford and Boston such as a loose pig, animal hoarding, and a gorilla who escaped from the zoo.

The Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts (ACOAM) joined the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), the Animal Rescue League of Boston, the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), and the state’s Bureau of Animal Health within the Department of Agricultural Resources in drafting and amending the bill.
The committee vote represents a step closer to debate and votes by the Senate and House.