Couple contacts media after Rowan County (NC) Animal Control refuses to help starving horse

NORTH CAROLINA -- Neighbors said nothing has been done at an address in Rowan County after repeated complaints of animal abuse have been filed.

 They told Eyewitness News reporter Dave Faherty that the problem goes way past neglect.

 

 Jennifer Majors has been around horses all her life and had her first pony was she was just 10 years old. 
 
 So when she saw a horse arrive at property nearby, she knew something wasn't right.

 "This spotted horse is very thin,” Majors said. “I feel like it needs more than just to be thrown out and left in a pasture where nobody lives and checks upon it in a regular basis. It needs a proper diet."
 
 Majors and her husband own more than two dozen horses on their farm near the town of Cleveland.
 

 The malnourished horse next door isn't the only gruesome discovery that they said they've made on the property. 

 "There's carcasses of ponies, goats, llamas, horses everywhere,” David Majors said. “Eight or 10 carcasses lying on the ground."
 
 When Faherty contacted animal control, officials said they have received complaints in the past, including one this month, but haven't cited the owner.
 

 They said that during their visits, there has been enough food and water to keep the animals healthy.
 
There may be enough scrub grass to maintain a healthy horse for awhile, but this horse is NOT healthy therefore, there should be MORE food out there for it to gain weight.

 The Majorses believe that if something isn't done, more animals could suffer.

 "It's just not right,” David Majors said. “It is a health problem and it needs to be taken care of. If they can take care of the animals, that's fine but if they can't, they need to get rid of them."
 

 

 Animal control officials said Wednesday that if they get a complaint and the animal is in bad enough shape, they call a veterinarian to investigate further.

How bad does it have to be before you do your jobs, Animal Control?! Does it have to be lying there dead before you go out and give the owner a citation for not burying it immediately?

This horse needs vet care immediately. The owner should be given 24 hours to provide proof that it was examined by a vet and that a plan of improvement has been implemented. If the owner fails to get vet care, seize the horse! If the owner fails to follow the vet's instructions, seize the horse!

(WSOC Charlotte - May 28, 2015)