Animal Hoarding: Identifying The Disease
Relying on the expertise of psychologist Derek Bergeron, this article discusses a typology of hoarding that places hoarders into three categories: overwhelmed caregiver, rescue hoarder, and exploiter hoarder. The overwhelmed caregiver usually got into the position due to situational factors; they are aware of the problem, feel overwhelmed by the problem, and generally have a strong attachment to the animals they hoard. The rescue hoarder feels that they are the only option the animals they hoard have for good care and they feel in control of the situation. While the previously described hoarding behaviors stem for a concern for animals, exploiter hoarders are only motivated by the need to be in control and to dominate; they generally lack empathy for humans or other animals.