We're running a package of four stories on animal hoarding Sunday.

It's impossible to define, clinically, what an animal hoarder is.

So we have simply  done our best to talk to people who care for large numbers of animals, and animal control officers in charge of stopping animal abuses. We tell their stories.

We don't label anyone an animal hoarder. But we do talk about how bad conditions in animal care facilities can get.

Hopefully the stories shine some light on a little-understood problem.

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It appears the federal government is a bit multiple-personality when it comes to changing the names of same-sex couples married under California law.

Social Security has no problem updating documents with the new, married name.

But the U.S. State Department cited the federal Defense of Marriage Act in denying one local couple updated passports in their new name.

See the story here.