Stop Dog Collectors Abuse & Neglect

There has been a case of a dog "collector" in Greer, South Carolina, there were 130+ dogs removed from the mobile home and taken to the local Humane Society. There have been efforts made by various rescue groups in placing 40 of these dogs in foster homes for rehabilitation. This was a huge and successful task that had consumed hours, the entire month of December actually, of volunteers working with rescue groups in logging, evaluating, loading and transporting for spay/neuter surgery, loading and transporting to various rescue groups and foster homes from South Carolina to Tennessee, Georgia, West Virgina, North Carolina and New Mexico. But, our mission is not yet complete. We need to see that this does not happen again in this particular home. A court date is set for January 15, 2001, we need to have our voices heard throughout the local authorities. There is an excellent article on "Collectors" at the USHS site . . . Facts about collectors:http://www.hsus.org/programs/companion/shelter_library/animal_collectors.htmlCollector cases not only attract media coverage, but often result in mixed media messages. In fact, the media often portray collectors as victims. Collectors have an extremely high relapse (recidivism) rate. Take a collector's animals away without any other interventions, and he or she will likely accumulate the same number of animals within a short period of time. Collectors have unusual psychology. Moreover, they can only be handled effectively through an understanding of that psychology. Collectors often exhibit a variety of psychological disorders. Cases can thus be won or lost on how collectors are understood, approached, and treated. Most collectors can't conveniently be labeled "abusers" and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, nor can they simply be labeled "ignorant" and educated about proper animal care. Some argue that collectors are a classic manifestation of good intentions gone awry, and thus criminal prosecution may not be an appropriate option. However, according to psychologists who have studied collectors, such as The HSUS's Randall Lockwood, collectors' actions are often less a result of good intentions gone bad and more a result of a true pathology. "The major issue is that animals are suffering, regardless of whether or not the individual in custody of them is mentally ill, inept but well meaning, or just plain mean." My goal is to attempt to convince the courts that these people should never own another dog. Please join me in lifting your voices and ink pens for the welfare of the dogs.