[News] 204 Yorkies Found in UK Woman's Shed
 

Hurstpierpoint, UK - Animal welfare officials have discovered 204 Yorkshire Terriers crammed into a garden shed in a village near Brighton.

The discovery was made after the death of a 73-year-old Yorkshire Terrier breeder, who lived in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex.

The 204 dogs were stuffed into tiny carrier boxes and kept in a 40ft shed with no windows. Six puppies were found dead.

Lisa Gooch of Brighton Animal Action said the animals' living conditions were the worst she had seen.

"The carry boxes were full of excrement with the dogs wedged in at the top. They were dripping from the urine they had been lying in for so long," Miss Gooch said.

"They were all absolutely starving and thirsty, but there were a lot that were just so weak they were on death's door."

Billy Elliott, Worthing and District Animal Rescue Service spokesman, said they had taken in six of the dogs, who would need a lot of care and attention.

"They were almost walking as if they were crouching down, as if they had never stood up," he said. "They will need several baths before the smell goes away."

Rescuers also found 37 cats living in the squalid conditions.

Klare Kennett, of the RSPCA, said that if the breeder had been alive, the maximum penalties magistrates could impose were six months in prison, a £20,000 fine, and a lifetime ban from keeping animals.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...portaltop.html

Oh he's at it again. (picture sad face, here.). Smilie WONT WORK.

This made me cry. Poor little babies. I hope that old hag likes burning in hell :(

That is so sad! I dont even know what to say Im at a loss for words! I hope that they all are taken care of properly and find very loving homes!

:omg: (that's more effective, rr, than just posting the words).

Thank you FE, for another heartbreaking news article. I'm kinda glad the guy died....

That is deplorable! :(

Here is the link to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) site:

http://www.rspca.org.uk

They don't have any information on rescuing any of those Yorkies yet, but perhaps they will soon, if any UK YT members may be interested in rescuing any.

that breaks my heart. i dont u/s why they had so many dogs and if they were in such bad shape, they couldn't sell them. what is wrong w people????

:( :( :(

wow. thats just sad. only six months?!?! i would have put him in jail for life! what cruel person could live with themselves like that!

I don't think it's a puppy mill, since he didn't sell any of the dogs. He just kept more and more of them. I think those poor dogs and cats have been victim of a hoarder.

"Hoarding" is a psychological disorder. It occurs when animal lovers or rescuers take on more animals than they can manage or are for; thus, they unintentionally become passive abusers themselves. Hoarding can becomes both a cruelty issue and a public safety (health) issue. It a psychological disorder that effects mainly people over the age of 60, that never got married and have lived alone almost all of their life. The pets become central to the hoarder's core identity. The hoarder develops a strong need for control, and just the thought of losing an animal can produce an intense grief-like reaction. Animal hoarders think they're helping their furry friends, but mostly they're just feeding their own twisted psyches.

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium defines an animal hoarder as someone who has:

*Accumulated a large number of animals, overwhelming that person's ability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, and veterinary care
*Failed to acknowledge the deteriorating condition of the animals (including disease, starvation, and even death) and environment (severe overcrowding, very unsanitary conditions)
*Failed to recognize the negative effect of the collection on his or her own health and well-being, and on that of other household members.

Most of this info has been taken from a Salon article titled : Loving animals to death.

I still don't understand how hoarder's can't see that their pets are getting ill and are dying because of them. Perhaps it's like those anorexic girls that are super skinny but still see themselves as fat girls when they look at themselves. The problem is obvious to everybody but they don't seem to be able to see it. So strange...

Well said Kupara! It's definitely a mental disorder.

Holy Cow!
 

Okay, that poor baby in post number one looks a lot like our Little Nemo-only in real bad shape.
Poor guy. If I thought it would help I'd call some of my friends overseas to adopt some of these little ones!
Hoarders really should be helped because it's the dogs that really suffer. And there ARE signs. Keep your eyes posted in your own neighbor hood for a hoarder near you!

Thank you for the definition! If hoardering is a pyschological disorder, or mental deffect, are there ways to treat it? Either drug or emotion therapy? What are their options?

Yes I am afraid she was a puppy farmer :mad:
Here is the link to the rescue who is dealing with most of the dogs.The others are being cared for by another local rescue.
http://celiahammond.org/
The dogs couldn't even stand up straight as they had been in the crates for years.

Sharon

Our main news site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...es/4919030.stm

Sharon

O M G :( That second pic breaks my heart! That child looks sooooo sad :(

If you go on www.gmtv.co.uk it tells you about rehoming them

here is the rescue where they are
www.celiahammond.org
or phone the rescue on 01892 783820

From what I have read, I don't think they have any solution/treatment to this problem yet. 100% of hoarders that are cought, will just start over again as soon as they are left alone. :(

It's a terrible problem. In my opinion it's even worst than puppy mills... in the long run it makes way more victims than a puppy mill, cause they just start over and over. That's why I wanted to give the definition of it on here.

veterinarians can take a lead role in finding who might be hoarding. Perhaps even regular citizens could help. Here I have attached a pic of Tips for identifying hoarders.

OMG those pictures just break my heart. I hope they all find loving caring homes and live a long happy life from now on.

Happy Update
 

Just to give you all a happy update, this is from tonight's London Evening Standard (I type really fast!)

Thousands Jam Lines to Adopt Pups Left in Squalor

More than 200 puppies found living in squalor in a windowless shed will be rehomed after charities were inundanted with calls.

Phone lines jammed and computers crashed at animal rescue centres as almost 3,000 messages were received offering to adopt the pups as well as 39 cats.

The animals were found locked in filthy plastic containers ina shed with no light or heating in West Sussex, following the death of their breeder, 23 year old widow Elizabeth Stevens.

Celia Hammond, whose clinic in Lewisham is caring for 86 dogs and 29 cats said "The emails crashed our computer and we took on five people to man the phones. It is wonderful so many were touched by the plight of those poor animals. Their future looks brighter".

Barbara Allen of Croyden Animal Samaritans, added "We have had people on the phone in tears after reading about how these dogs have suffered".

Mrs Stevens died on Sunday after a stroke. The 204 Yorkshire Terriers were rescued from the shed in Hurstpierpoint after her son Christopher raised the alam. The animals were living in a 40ft shed crammed into tiny boxes and caked in their own excrement and urine. The boxes were stuffed with urine-sodden newspapers. Six puppies were found dead, and some of the bodies had been eaten by the other dogs.

It has emerged that in 1998, Mid Sussex district council told Mrs Stevens to reduce the number of dogs but did not enforce the warning. A local animal activist said the council issued a second warning a year ago, but again failed to follow it up. A council spokesman would not confirm the second warning but said an internal investigation was under way.

Mrs Steven's family said they had no idea the animals were in such bad condition. A qualified pharmacist, she was last issued with a breeder's license eight years ago, but did not need one after that as she was not breeding pets commercially.

A friend of Mrs Stevens who lives in the village said "She began breeding Yorkshire Terriers in the seventies. She was intelligent and so well educated. It said that in the later years she obviously wasn't coping well. It's shocking that a woman who adored animals let them and herself get into such a state"

(end of article)

So thank goodness those puppies are going to find good homes! Those charities as well will screen all potential owners so here's to a better future for all of them after such a horrendous start to life :aimeeyork

That very interesting. I often wondered why people will do that, but I can understand it if it's a control thing. If they sell or give them away, the no longer have control.

Well anorexic people can't see that they are too thin either. Our minds do funny things.

My gosh, I litteraly get sick to my stomach with pain, sorrow and grief when I see these stories. I cannot stand the thoughts of what those poor little ones had to endure. It makes me cry. It makes me mad!! as HELL, that there are such careless people we share this world with. I hope the kindness of all those people stepping forward to offer a life with loving homes and care, eventually helps these little ones know what a wonderful life can be with loving caring caregivers. God bless those furballs. Is there a way to send donations for the initial shelter care?

MaryKay

We are sending a donation to Celia Hammond. Details here
http://www.celiahammond.org/

Some are also being cared for by this organisation
http://www.croydonanimalsamaritans.co.uk/sub2.htm

What a tragic life these little ones have lived. It makes you wonder what a shock their little minds are in now. I know that they will be fed and watered and loved.......In the pic. where they appeared to be cleaned up and on fresh paper, they all looked so sad, no little ears up, no excitement, can they ever be socialized and recover from the abuse? It literally makes me cry as I even type this. Sometimes the events of life are overwhelming (in situations like this). Im sure there are many more out there. Just glad these were found.

It just makes you wonder how many more are living like this not just in the UK but all over the World.
There are so many yorkies in rescue over here at the moment :mad:
A little girl was rescued from the pound last week she is 19 years young :eek: She is now enjoying however much time she has left at yorkie land rescue over here in the UK :)

Sharon,Charley & Melody xxx

How does anyone purporting to be a human being do this to sweet little Yorkies , May that breeder burn in eternal hell for what he/she put these poor defensless dogs through

The future looks bright!
 

woW !