What Is An Animal Hoarder?

 When most people hear about animal hoarding, they recall shocking news stories about the “crazy cat lady.” They immediately side with the animals, rarely considering the life of what led to this behavior.

The term "animal hoarding" refers to the compulsive need to collect and own animals for the sake of caring for them that results in accidental or unintentional neglect or abuse. Most animal hoarders fall victim to their good intentions and end up emotionally overwhelmed, socially isolated, and alienated from family and friends. The problem causes immense suffering for both animals and people. It also creates great expense for local animal shelters and may require regional and national efforts to find homes for large numbers of animals.

Barbara is last known to have anywhere between 25-50 +/- dogs in her suburban Houston home. The exact count fluctuates on an almost daily basis. The exact number is hard to pinpoint since Barbara has provided various numbers of her "foster count" over her years in rescue. Barbara does not like to welcome people into her home often. Even volunteers and past board members have been denied access to her home. Animal control has been contacted about the alarming number of dogs and puppies that she keeps in her home on numerous occasions.  They have made several visits but have been outsmarted by Barbara and her ability to stall their investigation while she moves many of the dogs to the boarding facility that she rents mass amounts of kennel space at.  Living in a small home with this amount of animals, many needing special medical attention or are behaviorally unsound, is not only cruel and tortuous to the dogs in her home, it is also unhealthy mentally and physically for the 2 adults living in the home as well.