In response to Barb's post about the need for New York State to improve their laws, I'd like to share this site at Michigan State University Law School which provides the animal abuse laws in all states through out the U. S. It is an excellent resource, easy to use and provides a number of topics. http://www.animallaw.info/ I also believe that more cases would be handled and animals saved if more citizens would step up to report situations they see or even hear about. Often times you get farther with a complaint or concern with the more evidence you have. But the point is we have to inform law enforcement of the places to look and the people to look at - they can't be everywhere. It appears from the inconsistent reports available about the hoarding situation in Phoenix, that there were red flags about this man (and girlfriend) that were ignored or the ones that were reported were not followed up on as thoroughly as they might have been. This is my opinion formed from the information made available. Please be a voice for the animals and speak up if you see unkind actions or hear of situations that concern you. Talk to your law enforcement or animal control officers and see what you need to do to make a difference. Cathy Ryan Feed rescued animals in two clicks http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3 [Posted in FML 7444]