I have seven dogs and three cats. I feed premium food (primal raw at the moment) and four of the dogs are under the care of an internist, so I feel I am getting the best vet care I possibly can. Oh, and one is also under the care of an opthamologist in addition to the internist. We don't live in a mansion, but I do have a home on 3/4 of an acre with a fenced yard. The yard is clean, I can't stand it when people don't clean up after their dogs and I KNOW my home is cleaner and neater than most homes with two or three children. Also, my yard is one of the nicest in my neighborhood.
My cats live inside, but have a screened porch to enjoy the outdoors in and a cat tower to enjoy. Two of the dogs are in agility classes and two of the four senior dogs have agility titles. Five of the dogs are rescues, including Lizzy. Six are Italian Greyhounds. I don't have children, so I guess they do fulfill some maternal instinct/feelings in me. I love taking care of them.
I had someone at work "jokingly" call me a hoarder, to which I replied I thought she was more of one for having three pets who weren't very well cared for by my standards. When you say unkind things to people, don't expect kind replies.
Her dog spends it's days outside in the backyard and because of barking all night, gets stuck in a crate all night. Her cats run loose and she had one disappear and the other died at a young age from unknown causes, then she went out and replaced them.
My dogs are clean, live in the house and are well behaved. They get their nails trimmed, teeth brushed and ears cleaned regularly. Lizzy (YT) is bathed once a week. They are feed 2x a day from clean bowls. There are also three large bowls of water that get changed at least every day, but usually twice per day.
I don't consider myself a hoarder. I consider myself someone who loves animals and enjoys spending the majority of my time with them, because with as many as I have, it is a lifestyle choice and there's no way a person can take care of this many unless they spend the time to do it. Most of my closest friends are like me, too.
