News

Lessons from Coffee County ‘house of horrors’

At least $20,000: That staggering number is Tiffany Howington’s estimate of the cost of medical treatment and sterilization of the over 100 dogs and cats that Troy Animal Rescue Project is taking in from a single home in rural Coffee County, Alabama, as reported by Jacklynn Lambert on WTVY.

Not included in this estimate are Tiffany and other volunteers’ numerous hours collecting and trapping the dogs and cats, or the extensive coordination and transportation for medical care, spay and neuter, foster care, and finding adoptive homes for the rescued animals. See this post if you would like to donate or open your home to a foster.

While animal hoarding cannot be completely prevented, intervention — as early as possible — can greatly reduce the severity of impacts on the human and animal residents of the home, the neighborhood, and the larger community. Critical factors, some of which are mentioned by the Troy Animal Rescue Project director in WTVY’s coverage, include:

• Report now. If you have knowledge or suspicion that a person may have more animals than they can care for, report right away to law enforcement and to DHR. Hoarding only gets worse with time.
• Speak up for animal services. If your county or municipality has no animal shelter or animal control, talk to law enforcement, county commissioners, or city or town councilmembers. This map shows whether each county is doing its part, or at least the bare minimum as required by Alabama law.
• Prevent hoarders or abusers from having animals. When neglected or abused pets are removed from a property, ask that the owners be barred from getting more pets or limited in the number of (sterilized) pets they are allowed to keep. Without a possession ban or limitation on the number of pets allowed, there is a near-100% likelihood that the person whose animals were removed will begin collecting again. Ask your shelter director, animal control officer, district attorney, and judges to ensure that possession bans are included in plea deals and in sentencing orders.
• Require that dogs be kept to the owner’s premises. If confinement is required in your area, report violations. If there is no requirement, ask your county commission or council to require that dogs be kept on the owner’s premises, for the protection of dogs and people alike and the reduction of litters. This map shows which counties have adopted the state's dogs-at-large law, in which case it applies to residents of the unincorporated area and some municipalities. If your county, city, or town has yet to require confinement, these tips can chart the path.
• Share spay and neuter information. Many pets are unsterilized simply because the owner is not aware of an affordable or accessible option, or needs a little nudge to make an appointment. Others need financial help or transportation. Shelter staff, animal control officers, local rescue organizations, or advocates in your area can point you in the right direction. If you are in Blount County, see these options for low-cost spay and neuter and financial assistance.

Blount County residents can help by recognizing the signs of hoarding and by reporting without delay to Blount County Dispatch, 205-625-4913. Anonymous reports can be made to the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) at 205-274-5200.

Residents of other counties can call the sheriff’s office or police department’s non-emergency line and the local DHR office.