Pet Food Factory Reeks of 'Rotting, Dog Food-Like Excrement'

Neighbors of a New Jersey dog treat factory are fed up with its smell.An Aug. 11 report from WNBC-TV detailed complaints from residents in Neptune City, New Jersey, about a Nylabone plant on the Jersey Shore.“What I smell is like a rotting, dog food-like excrement smell,” one neighbor told the news station. Said another: “It’s nauseating. Instant headaches until, like, you’re nauseous.”The factory has been next door to the neighborhood for decades, but smell complaints didn’t ramp up until dog treat production was recently consolidated there.Nylabone President Glen Axelrod said, "Are we going to be able to solve it 100%? No, and I never promised 100% ... 100% is not realistically achievable, so I wouldn't promise something that's not achievable.”Axelrod said the company recently spent over $2 million on odor abatement, charcoal filters and other improvements. He added that what residents are smelling is non-toxic and simply the process of making dog treats.“If it were a bakery, you'd be smelling baked food; if we were a steakhouse, you'd be smelling steak," he said.WNBC said it’s not clear what legal steps residents can take against the factory, though they are talking with an attorney.