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Profiles in Hoarding

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Bonnie from Episode 1
Bonnie, 63, has had pets all her life. Conflicts in relationships led her to distrust others and turn to her pets for solace. At one point, her collection grew to over 100 dogs and the county seized them due to poor living conditions. Undeterred, Bonnie began anew, acquiring more pets, and refusing to let them leave her home. Bonnie can't live without her "babies", eight dogs she lets have run of the house, much to the dismay of her niece Paula.

Don from Episode 1
Don grew up as part of a close-knit family, and as a young man toured and performed as a rock musician. He struggled with substance abuse and addiction but eventually overcame them. He attributes his success in staying sober to Linda, his wife of 16 years. Linda left to stay with her daughter Melissa and her son-in-law Paul because health complications didn't allow her to live in a home filled with cats. Don wants her home but has to struggle to let go of their 30 cats to make it happen.

JD from Episode 2
Raised by her strict father, JD started bringing animals home at an early age, but her father would always "get rid of them." Now JD's world revolves around caring for her 27 pets, often at the peril of her relationship with her partner of 21 years, Patty.

Janice from Episode 2
At one time Janice bred Yorkies and would show them too, but when a bout of cancer left her debilitated for months, her pet family grew. Taking care of her 97 dogs and 20 cats, in stacks of cages inside her home, has become a full-time job, and a major expense. Her husband, Don, has begun to withdraw financial support and Janice doesn't know where to turn.

Robin from Episode 3
Robin, a mother of five, started collecting pets when she discovered she couldn't have any more children. As the oldest sibling in a family of nine her nurturing streak runs deep. However, the chaos of 21 pets and mounting piles of stuff in her home is now driving away her family, including her husband Pete.

Lolette from Episode 3
After graduating high school, Lolette moved across the country in a quest for independence. She was 28 when she met Russ at a wedding reception and has been married to him for 33 years. Lolette is now retired but runs a cat rescue with the help of Russ and volunteers Patrice, Alyss, Phillis and Mary. The rescue, run out of her home, has grown to care for over 200 cats.

Lauren from Episode 4
Lauren's husband, Jordan, left for Afghanistan in December and at that time they had two dogs. Since then she's started going to "kill-days" at the local shelter and bringing dogs home, most often pregnant ones with the hopes of adopting the puppies out. Her friend, Thea, is there to offer Lauren support, until things take a turn for the worse.

Jack from Episode 4
Friends and family describe Jack as a gentle, caring soul. His good nature led him to care for a close friend's six dogs when she left town. The dogs multiplied as Jack struggled to rebound from congestive heart failure; left on their own they grew wild and unruly. Jack built fences all around his home hoping to protect and contain his pack of 45 feral dogs, but when they started attacking each other, Jack lost all hope. Leaving his property for any length of time became an impossible feat.

Flossie from Episode 5
When she was just 18, Flossie's mother was killed in a car accident. She cared for her younger brother and her sister Julie, but Flossie's brother also died tragically six years later. Flossie worked in local markets and gas stations, and eventually divorced. She found new love and had been with her fiancé for 11 years when he also died suddenly, leaving her alone to care for 21 dogs, seven cats, a horse, a raccoon, a pig, and a pond full of catfish. Her sister lives close by with her family. They adore Flossie and try to help but feel Flossie's pets are beginning to take a toll on her.

Christine from Episode 5
Christine works an office job in the city. She has an hour drive to work through the country every day and will feed or pick up stray dogs and cats she finds on the side of the road. She now owns over 8 dogs, 31 cats and several birds. Her house is overrun, her finances are strained, and her daughter Jennifer flies into town to help her mother break her addiction to animals.

Jackie from Episode 6
Jackie started collecting small birds at first but then found other larger, more beautiful breeds and wanted those. Now she has a houseful - 25 parrots which include several large African greys and 12 macaws. She wants to be enjoying retirement like her friends but works as a sales clerk to support her growing collection of birds. Her son, Aaron, and wife, Leeanna, want her to find more time for family.

Shelley from Episode 6
Shelley and her husband Chris were best friends first, working together at a local aquatics center. Now, they have been married for three years. They both brought a couple cats into the relationship, but the number of cats began to escalate when they began caring for a feral cat colony outside their door. When maintenance workers came into their home and saw 25 cats in their apartment, the couple was given 30 days notice. Their new home is taken over by cats, 60 of them that Shelley calls her kids and gives human names.

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