Charlotte, you are obviously getting your information 2nd or 3rd hand. Tour the property in question as I have and you will see that Shirley was just as responsible for the conditions there, if not more so. The vast majority of the animals there were Shirley's. She was able to hide those animals in between visits by the authorities so those animals were not confiscated. She left Mrs. Maas' animals, however, while Maas was hospitalized. The conditions in Shirley's areas -- the trailer she inhabited and the areas of the house she used -- were just as deplorable, with animal waste and garbage everywhere. Like I mentioned in my first comment, the level of filth and hoarding involved is really indicative of pathology, and it's unfortunate that this mental illness aspect of the story has been neglected.