I'm not an expert here but I've read some regarding "collectors" and Rick
is right.  It is highly suspected of being a mental disease, somewhat
similar to or a specfic form of obsessive compulsive behavior.
 
These people, being sick, will adopt animals on the way home from jail -
no matter how many dead animals were found on their property or in their
home rotting away.
 
Ways to target known collectors?
 
In the case of Utah there is a window of opportunity - I'd bombard the
Judge of the case.  The animal control people are lowly employees.  The
Judge can set a sentance such that the woman is no longer legally able to
have animals for a specific number of years.  Or no more than a certain
number of animals.
 
This gives rescue groups the ability to have animals taken away much
sooner than animal control would normally because she would be breaking
the conditions of her sentance.
 
I would hope that the local H.S.  or ASPCA would also be putting pressure
on the Judge.  If not ask them and any dog/cat breed rescue groups to do
so as well.  The Judge is an ELECTED official.  Write letters to the
editor about being sick and tired of paying tax money to rearrest the same
mentally ill offenders over and over etc.  Has she done this before?  Who
was the Judge?  What is the current Judge's record on offenses like this?
Poor?  Write the editor - threaten to campaign/vote against him/her.
 
All this may go for the county Sherrif too - in my state the animal
control officers work for the Sherrif who is an ELECTED official.  Bombard
the Sherrif or whoever AC works for - that's who the ac will listen to.
Any public complaints regarding animal control's poor performance should
be directed at the poor job the Sherrif is doing.
 
More general things - check to see if any rescue groups in your area have
an email list.  There is a dog rescue list for my state and Rescue groups
will post and cross post DNA's (Do not adopt's).  Yahoo allows for files
on a groups site for file folders - DNA's can be listed by name and who
to contact privately for the libelous stuff.  Many breed rescue groups
only adopt out after home checks.  There are usually many volunteers like
myself that will do a home check for any group, dog, cat, bird etc. in my
local area to help out - network your state!
 
Mary
 
"Animals are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other
 nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time,"
 Henry Beston
[Posted in FML issue 3560]