Have you seen one?? A dog who takes all the toys for themselves, perhaps storing them in a crate, on a bed or in a closet? Typically no one else is allowed to play with them and in some cases, looking at them is even reacted to.

I believe these dogs hoard for the same reason our WWII grandparents did, because they went without and know how valuable things can be. It doesn’t matter if they’ve slept on or destroyed the valuable object, they defend and protect it just like my grandmother defended the unidentifiable food inside the rows of jars in her pantry.

Going without leaves deep scars, scars that manifest in different behaviors. In some cases these dogs went without love, companionship or acknowledgement in other cases they went without food, water or shelter. And just like the people we know who now function in spite of what they went through, these dogs too have found a way to survive – if not thrive, in society.

It could be that this entire theory is incorrect and some dogs just hoard. Just like some people stockpile, others prep, others hoard, perhaps we’re just creating dogs with similar mental issues to our own…a sad but probably thought.

I will say I’ve found dogs who hoard to be great judges of character. The many I’ve met don’t seek out attention but instead seem to measure each individual and reserve their affection for those they determine as deserving.