Noriega: Animal hoarding is far more common than you realize
Apr 18, 2025, 6:00 AM | Updated: 7:42 am
The Animal Humane Society (AHS) estimates that 250,000 animals are victims of hoarding. They claim that it’s the top animal cruelty crisis in America. (Canva)
(Canva)
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SALT LAKE CITY — Animal hoarding is good intentions gone awry.
“It goes with every animal hoarder — they fail to understand that all their love is a good intention gone awry,” said Karen Cassidy, a clinical psychologist, who spoke to ABC News back in 2011.
Animal hoarding is not a new phenomenon, and it is far more common than we think.
Effects of hoarding
The Animal Humane Society (AHS) estimates that 250,000 animals are victims of hoarding. They claim that it’s the top animal cruelty crisis in America—for companion animals.
Many episodes of Hoarders, on the A&E network have addressed animal hoarding. Whether it’s 75 cats overtaking Shirley’s Home or 30 bunnies running wild in a rental– animal hoarders are part of the 19 million Americans that have a hoarding disorder. Hoarding is considered a mental disorder.
In Ogden, 156 dogs were removed from a house that police say has a history of animal hoarding. According to KSL television’s Mike Anderson, this same home had 149 sick and starving dogs removed in 2012.
“Unfortunately, 100 percent of animal hoarders relapse if they don’t receive treatment,” said Cassidy, “It’s because it’s painful for them to let go of the animals and they feel like the animals give them perfect love and it’s they only way they feel like they can get satisfaction in life.”
Anderson knocked on the door of the house where the 156 dogs were removed, “He did not answer, but there was a very strong smell coming from inside and flies around the porch. A very concerning situation.”
The AHS says that there are two types of hoarders:
- Overwhelmed caregivers who are often socially isolated and believe that their hoarding is only problematic because of recent changes to their circumstances—like health challenges or financial problems.
- Rescue hoarding is when people believe that they’re the only ones that can adequately care for the animals and are unaware of the dangerous and unhealthy conditions in which the animals are living.
History of Ogden house
Regarding the man accused of hoarding in Ogden, Anderson reports that, “he was under the idea that he ran an Animal Rescue. He became known in the Hispanic community—in fact, he would go on radio and talk about the importance of getting your dog spayed and neutered.”
Anderson spoke to a woman who ran an animal shelter, Brenda Gordon, who claims she helped this man in 2012 when a pack of dogs were removed the first time.
“He really does love the dogs, and he puts his heart, his soul and everything,” she said. “He just doesn’t have the financial means to get them all spayed and neutered and stuff like that.”
Longtime journalist and animal advocate Amy Donaldson says when these animals are rescued from the hoarders that it puts an incredible strain on animal shelters that are already working at capacity.
“Weber (Animal Shelter) was already at capacity. They can house safely 180 dogs, this one incident will practically fill it and they were already at 100 percent capacity,” said Donaldson.
“How do we address this at the root problem? Because the shelter system and the rescue community is already in crisis,” said Donaldson.
Dave Noriega is the co-host of Dave & Dujanovic on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.
