ANDERSON, Ind. — An Anderson animal shelter is calling for help after several "hoarding" discoveries have threatened their ability to deliver services.
The Animal Protection League recently rescued 21 dogs from two local hoarding cases in less than 24 hours.
Director Maleah Stringer called the first case "one of the worst hoarding situations" she has seen in her more than decade-long career.
“Probably over 100 degrees in the house because there was no air conditioning and all the windows were shut. The house was covered in feces and urine. The ammonia smell was off the charts,” she said.
APL rescued 14 dogs from that house. They are small terrier mixes ranging in age from one to seven.
The next day, APL received another seven dogs from a nearby hotel after the owner had left for three days.
“If we have another dog come in right now, I don’t know where we are going to put them. We are in survival mode right now. We are in crisis,” Stringer said.
The pandemic provided some relief for the small shelter, with more people adopting and fostering animals. But now, conditions are getting worse. APL has about 100 dogs with only 52 built-in kennels. Many are being placed in portable crates.
Stringer said rescuing these dogs is like putting a band-aid on the problem - it’s only a temporary fix.
“I think it’s time that we look at this as a systemic problem and try to fix what’s causing it because this is not just an animal issue. This is a people issue and it’s not just in this community, it’s across the country” Stringer said. “I think we ignored it for so long that it’s gotten so huge that it’s overwhelming.”
Stringer said they are always looking for more people to adopt, foster, volunteer and donate, but sadly, it's not enough to fix the problem “because for every pet that’s adopted, you know, five to 10 more are coming in,” she said.
Situations like theirs can also cause shelter workers and rescue volunteers to feel defeated.
“We are expecting our animal rescue folks to pick up the slack to fix this problem and we can’t. We are tired. As hard as we work and as many ordinances that we change and as many spays and neuters that we do, it doesn’t feel like we are making a difference. It’s an endless hole,” Stringer said.
She said something that would help is better enforcement of animal ordinances.
“We need to get a handle on the backyard breeding that is rampant here. If you go into this shelter, you will see 70 percent or more pit bulls. It’s not because everybody loves the breed. That’s how people in this community make their money. We have dogfighting here. We have people that just don’t understand about pet ownership,” Stringer said.
The dogs that recently arrived still need to be vetted, vaccinated, spayed and neutered. Many also need dental work because of lack of previous care.
Click here to learn about volunteering or donating to the Animal Protection League.
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