To the animal
community,
In reading these e-mails about hoarding I could not resist in
commenting.
My sis and I are known for our recovery from
bulimia, and my mom is a top therapist for alcoholics and addicts. I
have learned to recognize addictive behavior, not by their symptoms of
excess weight or being drunk, but instead by their character defects:
control issues, being a victim, denial, etc.
Hoarding is a mental illness, just like bulimia, and the addiction
that follows hoarding allows us to add the "ism" to rescue. In
fact, I recoined the word hoarding into "rescuism", to force
people to view hoarding as mental addiction and disease. You
cannot judge or get angry at someone mentally ill. However,
just as we should not judge a "drunk", you still can stop the
drunk from driving, when it involves other living creatures. I
believe this should hold true with a hoarder and rescuism. Their
illness makes them unfit to see their sickness and unfit to run a
shelter with dependent living creatures. Furthermore, you
cannot tell a drunk they are drunk. Telling a mentally ill person they
are a hoarder, will only make them defend themselves or defend other
fellow hoarders.
At one time I felt I could be a potential hoarder, because I really want
to save any animal that comes into my life. Nevertheless, a true hoarder
is no more a savior than a mother who harms her child. Both the sick
mother and the hoarder love to be needed, but that is where the love
ends. I worked at a rescue where I observed hoarders getting high or
loaded with the act of "rescuing", (that I now call rescuism).
The hoarders whole life is defined through just rescuing. But unlike
rescuing, these hoarders are actually sociopaths when it came to caring
for the animals. Hoarders are addicted to chaos, and like an
abusive relationship, they do not know what a healthy environment is. Hoarders don't rescue animals, they actually kidnap
them, and hold them hostage in unlivable conditions. This
hoarding behavior is examplified in the old movie, "The
Collector", where a man collected butterflies and then kidnapped a
woman, later adding her to his collection. Hoarders want complete
control over a living creature and cannot let go, because just like an
alcoholic, their choices in life stem from fear, NEVER LOVE. Their
God-like complex says that no one but them can take better care of the
animal, though the number of animals they collect are beyond their
means. Therefore, the care of the animal ALWAYS suffers because of
this hoarding addiction.
If anyone has a 501c animal charity and depends on donations, people
have every right to check to see if any mental illness of hoarding or
rescuism is possibly happening. In fact, I believe it is our duty to
check to make sure no shelters are run by hoarders, because like all
illnesses, it will regress and kill animals if not treated. The first
change is a welcome to any rescue for someone checking on hoarding.
I believe this is an epidemic and is the #1 killer of animals in private
shelters, at some level or another. We need to band together and get
involved with the community and stop potential hoarders from running a
shelter, just as we should not have child molestors running summer
camps. Shelters are becoming dumping grounds for poor animals and then
havens for the mentally ill hoarders. Worst of all, I have observed that
these hoarders surround themselves in a cult-like environment. This
disease of hoarding thrives on being worshipped where hoarders seek
their 15 minutes of fame from weak minded groupies. Shame on these
enablers. Both the enablers and the hoarders end up hiding and lying
about their animal collection, proving the enablers and hoarders know
right from wrong. Bottom line, the focus of saving the animals is
lost in the obsession of rescuism. Therapists all agree that no one
has any business rescuing when that person is running away from their
own problems. That is co-dependent. Hoarders stop us from finding real
solutions for pet over- population, in fact, they encourage it.
I will dedicate the rest of my life in stopping hoarders from running
shelters that have this mental disease of rescuism. As a part of my
recovery, in a fellowship manner, I will reach out and help any hoarder
who wants my help. I would like to start a 12-step program for those who
confuse rescue with kipnapping, (and taking animals hostage), where the
animals all end up dying in small prison-like cages.
Sincerely anxious to improve;
Shane & Sia Barbi