I really see no malice in this abuse of the animals involved. This elderly woman was left to fend for herself in an obvious unsettled mental state. My anger lies in the fact that help did not come sooner. Neighbors say they contacted authorities in 2003 and 2006; what about 04, 05, 07 and 08??? I applaud the person, or persons, who decided to take the time to pick up the phone in 2009.

Hoarders endanger the health and lives of every living creature in their possession, and the suffering they cause is extreme and long term. The rate of recidivism for hoarders nears 100%. Currently, most states have no mandatory requirements keeping convicted animal hoarders away from animals following their convictions. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is urging states to adopt a First Strike and You're Out law—a model law written by ALDF that would prevent animal abusers from having the chance to harm other animals again. We need to educate prosecutors, judges, and legislators that hoarding is like alcoholism: an incurable addiction that means that they must never have another drink-or, in this case, another animal. This proposed legislation would stop convicted hoarders from going on to abuse other animals—you can ask your legislators to support a First Strike and You're Out law via an online letter at http://www.aldf.org/firststrike. The current issue of O, The Oprah Magazine gives an in-depth profile of how the Animal Legal Defense Fund used the law to rescue 300+ dogs from an animal hoarder (http://www.aldf.org/oprah).

This story, plus the animal abuse report today from Polk County, makes one so very sick and angry....so much animal abuse going on. And yesterday a shooting of a neighbor because of cats. Some people should not have kids; others should not have pets.