Dogtown Episode 2

Another episode of Dogtown done! This episode featured three young dogs: Johnny, the golden retriever that was considered too dumb to train; "Baxt" (I think) a puppy with a neurological problem; and Tuffy, the dog attacked and left for dead by other dogs.

Baxt and Tuffy were victims of a hoarder. The show's narrator mentioned that hoarders often start off as trying to save animals and then just get overwhelmed. I know it's more than that though...and I know it from an article in Best Friends Magazine itself.

After watching this episode, I think death is often a more humane end for an animal than to be trapped for a lifetime with an animal hoarder. And I think this case was probably edited for television.

We've posted about hoarders before, but animal hoarders are more than just overwhelmed rescuers. Many consider hoarding to be a real mental illness. There are numerous fact sheets about animal hoarding available from animal groups. Here's one from PETA and another from the Humane Society.

And here's a huge article from the Psychiatric Times in 2000. Truly fascinating reading, but a problem that has not been addressed adequately at all.