Human-Animal Relationship Dysfunction: A Case Study of Animal Hoarding in Italy

Abstract

“Animal hoarding” or “compulsive hoarding of animals” is a psychiatric disease, which has important social implications and a profound influence on animal welfare. To date, this phenomenon has been little investigated and largely unexplored. The present study aims to systematically describe a case of animal hoarding, which remains unresolved. The report refers to a case of a woman suffering from animal hoarding that emerged in 2005. From March 2014 to December 2019, 450 animals were seized over nine different occasions. This disease had significant implications on the welfare of the animals collected, which lived in poor housing and hygiene conditions that frequently led to their death. Since animal hoarding cases involve sanitary, legal, and veterinary aspects, we believe that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary in order to prevent a recurrence and a new accumulation of animals. A holistic approach should be taken according to the One Health principle that involves different stakeholders at every level in order to adopt an efficient solution.

Human-Dog Relationship during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

“…In fact, women are more likely to adopt older dogs than men, proving the strong ability and motivation of women for caring [ 50 ]. The drift of caregiving can explain the higher percentage of women involved in dysfunctional relationships with animals, such as animal hoarding [ 51 ].…”

Effects of Oral Administration of Lepidium meyenii on Morphology of Mice Testis and Motility of Epididymal Sperm Cells After Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure

“…Studies on human reproduction are challenging, given ethical considerations, and the results on the impact of marijuana are confounded by socioeconomic factors and drug variability ( 9 ). Strong efforts have been made during the years to elucidate the effect of marijuana on reproduction in human and animal models ( 9 , 30 ). One of the purposes of this study was to verify the effect of THC administration in vivo on the characteristics of epidydimal mouse sperm cells.…”

Cortisol Levels of Shelter Dogs in Animal Assisted Interventions in a Prison: An Exploratory Study

“…This is due to excessive exposure to stressful situations such as the exposure to several unknown environments, the close interaction with unfamiliar people and the unexpected events that could occur during the working sessions [ 34 ]. However, the main factor affecting the welfare of the animals involved in the interventions is the poor ability of humans to detect animals’ emotional states that could also lead to human–animal relationship dysfunction [ 35 ]. In fact, several authors suggest that children and adults do not clearly perceive dogs’ body signals [ 36 , 37 ].…”