Animal hoarding is a problem in all divisions of society across the world (Donaghey 2011). Whether rich or poor, there may still be an animal collector living next door (Donaghey 2011). In some situations, there may be obvious signs that a person is a hoarder; however, others lead seemingly normal lives in the public eye and the problem gets worse. Animal hoarding is a growing problem due to lack of understanding of the problem and lack of action. The general public lacks understanding of the phenomenon of animal hoarding. Many citizens do not realize that anyone can report abuse (Donaghey 2011). There are “…900 to 2,000 new cases [discovered] each year…with a quarter of a million animals falling victim” in the United States alone (Animal). If every collector has a neighbor on each side, there are at least 4,000 witnesses to these crimes every year. One of the reasons why witnesses do not report cases is the unknown fact that hoarded animals "range from species of cats and dogs to reptiles, rodents, birds, exotic species and even farm animals" (Animal) . Hoarded animals show signs of abuse that witnesses can detect, such as heartworms, embedded collars, beatings, social problems, emaciated, or if they generally appear unhealthy (Donaghey 2011). The lack of awareness programs is largely attributed to animal hoarding. The Robinson Rescue is an organization that “educates pet owners about the importance of spaying and neutering as a way to end pet overpopulation.” ( ). This organization shows children how they should think about animals so as not to mistreat their animals, such as in a case in which the defendants claimed "that pets are classified as personal property..." and that they also have feelings (Donaghey 2011) (Gunnarson). Few people realize that 354 animals are eutha... middle of paper ......pair_flouted_ban;_Animals_found_in_wardrobe...-a0197686621>.Gunnarson, Helen W. "Animal Law Makes More Sense: As Americans place more -monetary and otherwise- on pets, importance of animal law increases Here's an Illinois-focused look at this new free library August 1, 2007. September 21, 2011. place_more_value-. ...-a0167255452>. (HARC)" The Free Library. May 1, 2002. September 21, 2011._Animals_Research...-a087720543>.Donaghey, Jillian. Personal interview. October 20 2011.