Novel Approaches to Animal Hoarding Cases

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Wake County’s proactive plan for excessive animal cases, which can also be considered animal hoarding, implements a “we’re all in this” team approach to assist at risk pets, hold pet owners accountable, and ultimately create a more humane community. Large scale animal cases can quickly tax agency resources. In 2015, Wake County developed a plan for step-wise intervention with excessive animal cases. This plan involves animal control officers, the veterinary team, the shelter team and transfer partners. In addition, Wake County has an assigned Assistant District Attorney who has specific knowledge about animal law and can assist with these complicated cases. This team approach serves to address both the animal and human welfare challenges with animal hoarding cases. An Animal Hoarding Task Force is in the early stages of creation as an attempt to bring a multi-agency approach to these complex cases. In the past year, the Wake County Animal Center has used this approach on six cases involving a total of 100 animals, including 65 cats, one bird and 34 dogs. Animal hoarding cases often involve debilitated and neglected animals. Some animals may have multiple medical issues. Despite these challenges, with proactive planning Wake County achieved a 92% live release rate for these six cases, with 43% of the animals being placed with transfer partners.