"Hoarder" is a dirty word in society and not a term we use lightly in TLC... My philosophy has always been it is not the number of animals you have, but the quality of care (physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally) you render towards your pets.
And if you are doing what you should be doing, they will all get along with serene energy shared among all in the home (humans and animals alike)...
There are some people who have 5 big dogs and the dogs get as much care as a human child does -- and then I've known people with 1 small dog that seldom got enough of anything (and IMHO, that person shouldn't have had any animals at all).
Having said this, the situation in Yucca Valley is being referred to as a hoarding situation - their term - not mine... So we will have to go with it.
An owner had just a few Chihuahuas many years ago and did not believe in spaying and neutering his dogs... Let's call him "Mr. Smith"... Mr. Smith started out with 4 or 5 dogs and about 10 years later, ended up with over 200...
His original Chihuahuas bred with Beagles and Doxies until the end result is a hodge podge -- almost a science experiment with cousins and uncles who look remarkably alike.
When the amount of dogs could no longer fit into his mobile (camper) home, Mr. Smith began to house them in an empty cabin in Yucca Valley.
With no running water or heat, moms (pregnant and/or with litters) began to suffer first, trying to give birth and/or keep their pups warm in the cold, high desert nights.
Not to say that Mr. Smith didn't take good care otherwise of his dogs... Every morning he fed them kibble and rice, waited until they ate, then cleaned up after them... In the afternoons, he repeated the process...
Local rescue organizations and Animal Control repeatedly did their best to convince Mr. Smith to lower the number of dogs he had for years...
Finally it came to a head and he was ordered to court to license his dogs... 11th Hour Rescue group sprung into action and got the moms with pups out first...
Other rescue groups came in and took one or two of the dogs... 11th Hour Rescue and others was successful in getting about 150+ of the dogs and putting them into foster homes.
Right before his court date, Mr. Smith finally realized that Animal Control meant business and because of his pathway in life, he stood a very good chance of losing all of his dogs.
None of the local animal shelters could take on 200+ dogs so we all knew when this came to head, there were going to be a LOT of dogs dying needlessly regardless how many of the local rescues worked beyond their means to save the dogs.
On February 18th, TLC took 12 of the dogs and 10 days later, took another 17.
Another rescue
(S.T.A.R.T.) funded the spay & neuter costs while TLC bought second-hand stainless steel veterinary cages and built out an intake unit at the rescue shop, beginning the rehabilitation process and on into the adoption process, funding the rest of the monies needed.
Twelve days later, 28 of the 29 dogs have been either spayed or neutered (one is pregnant, ready to deliver soon), brought up to date on their vaccines and microchipped.
Prior to adoption, they will also receive their Ventura County license if the adopter lives here.
Two of the dogs have been deemed by me to be fear biters and until we can remove this unwanted behavior from their personality, they are my husband's "project" to rehab (Houdini and Nemo). That could take weeks or months.
Of the remaining 26 dogs, several are already making remarkable progress to becoming socialized.
The trick with hoarder dogs is to give them time, and time to come to you. There are some that are very food-oriented, so treats of boiled chicken, vienna sausage bits, cheese pieces or Natural Balance logs are a great source of getting them to come around.
Thankfully, these dogs were healthy and of good weight -- not skin and
bones like most hoarding situations are.
Other than being dirty and
long nails needing to be clipped, the Yucca Valley hoarding dogs are in
pretty good shape overall.
Hoarder dogs are simply scared... Human touch is foreign to them... They don't know what playing with toys is like --- or cuddling up in a warm cushy bed...
Most of them had to fight for food in the hoarding situation so you end up with either dogs who have lost their self esteem and highly submissive, or dogs that will respond to a sudden noise by fleeing...
Others will plaster themselves to the ground when unexpectedly frightened...
Each dog is different, but one thing they all share in common? They will all blossom into great dogs given the chance and time by their adopter.
Our volunteers have made a diligent effort to continue the rehab and socialization process... It is a time extensive process at best...
With TLC, time, patience and compassion, these dogs will go from a very bad situation to a great adoptive one.
Shortly, these dogs will go up for adoption.
What are we asking for you as the general public?
First of all, if you have it in your heart and have the time to give to a deserving little guy (they go from 3 pounds up to 17 pounds, so we have every size and color... smile), think about adopting one of these Yucca Valley hoarder dogs.
If you aren't able to adopt, think about being able to foster one in your home. They need to learn all the normal things most dogs do - that a TV and its noise is not going to hurt them...
That people aren't enemies...
That good things and treats come from humans... And the list goes on...
If you have a well balanced dog already, this process will be much easier to achieve with a hoarder dog... They see your dog responding and play 'follow the leader', willing to try and trust because they watch and observe a LOT!
It also requires slow movements and calm energy as well... Highly active lifestyles and very energetic children just push these guys further into their fear-based mindsets.
If you aren't able to adopt or foster, but have an extra hour in the evenings once a week to give, try coming in at 7PM to the rescue shop for the 'socialization hour' we have set aside for these guys.
Once the majority of the closing down work is done in the rescue shop, two of these dogs will be put in the speedway with a socializer and goodies.
The goal is to show the dogs that you are the source of good things without having to fight or hurt. It requires a serene and calm manner along with patience and TONS OF REPETITION to achieve success.
TLC will supply the goodies and a low stool... the closer you are to ground level, the less threatening you are to these kinds of dogs with this kind of background...
If you cannot adopt, foster or be a socializer, this process is long, drawn-out one for the rescue... It will require months of food and housing for some of these dogs to get to adoptable standards...
All of these things are expensive to a rescue which operates on a very thin profit margin at the best of times...
Think about sponsoring a particular dog for a month (or several months until they get adopted by their furever parents)...
You can do this via check, cash or credit card online...
You can even set up a monthly donation that will automatically be placed on your credit card using our donation page at the website...
HERE is that webpage and if you scroll down past the gray Chihuahua standing upright, you will see a drop down menu that will allow you to donate anywhere from $10 a month to $100 month...
But trust me, EVERY nickle and dime helps...
It takes a lot each month to feed, house, bathe and take care of these dogs until someone falls in love with them! Our $1,000+ electricity bill comes every month, courtesy of Edison, and they don't really care about what we doe as a rescue, sad to say.
A big shout out goes to the 11th Hour Rescue, S.T.A.R.T. and the volunteers of TLC who have made it possible for these 29 dogs to get a second chance at life!
And an even bigger shout out (and thank-you) goes out to the members of the general public who adopt, foster, sponsor or donate towards this huge effort to save 29 small dog lives!
A month ago if you picked up one of the Yucca dogs, they immediately froze like a statue, hung out in the corners of the speedway fearful to move around or simply sat with eyes face down... Almost if they pretended we did not exist, we could not see them either...
