If you were to stand in Edgar Rojas’s yard on High Point Road in Winston-Salem for five minutes, it wouldn’t take long to notice the problem — fleas are everywhere.
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| Rojas can't even enjoy his backyard due to the fleas and the smell of dog feces coming from White's yard |
Rojas said that he called animal control two weeks ago, but no one has been able to respond.
“It’s horrible, you know, you sit on the couch and you’re just thinking — there’s something crawling on me,” Rojas said.
Rojas believes his neighbor’s dogs are to blame.
“There ain’t nowhere else for them to come around. I don’t have any pets. [My other neighbors] don’t have any pets…it’s them,” Rojas said.
Roja’s neighbor Gary White has two mixed-breed dogs living in a chicken wire enclosure outside his house.
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| Animal Control and this owner, Gary White, don't think dogs being in misery from scratching 24 hours a day and wallowing in their own feces is a problem. |
White said he is in compliant with all laws and ordinances relating to the care of dogs, and provides them with shade, food, water, and access to shelter.
In 2009, Forsyth County Animal Control investigated White, but said there wasn’t a problem.
On Friday, Animal Control officer Lt. John Day reviewed pictures and video of White’s dog’s living space and said it looked like White was meeting the minimum requirements.
The office couldn’t comment on the flea infestation because it couldn’t be seen in the video.
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| Within minutes, the reporter begins to get covered in fleas |
Forsyth County Animal Control needs more personnel to be able to handle neglect investigations like the one Rojas called to initiate.
Lt. Day said there is a backlog of 75 neglect calls because his department needs to hire three full-time officers.
Meanwhile, Edgar Rojas is left with searching for a solution for his flea problem.
(My Fox 8 - July 20, 2012)
