Some Albuquerque pet owners were given another chance to keep their dog after it attacked someone, but now a few of them are facing criminal charges for not following the rules.

There’s a list of 107 dangerous dogs in Albuquerque. Any owner and pet who make that list are required by city statute to work with Animal Welfare, but KRQE News 13 has learned a few aren’t doing that.

“For the life of the animal, we always do an inspection,” said Thomas Romero, animal welfare field services lieutenant. 

The list of Albuquerque’s dangerous dogs is long. Thirty-five of them were added in 2018.

Once animal control deems a dog dangerous, the owner must comply with two basic rules. One is a yearly inspection of the property where the dog lives. The second rule Lt. Romero says, is that the owner must have a $500,000 insurance policy on their home to ensure that the dog is safe and kept away from harming the public and other animals.

However, according to court records, at least three of these canine owners all living in northwest Albuquerque are not complying. They are also now facing charges for it.

It’s a serious issue that prompted the city to take legal action.

“For any violations that happen, that we witness even when we go out for a yearly inspection, it goes to a hearing,” Lt. Romero said.

The city recently sent out an ‘intent to prosecute’ notice to at least three dog owners after they failed to answer their phones or doors when the Animal Welfare Department came around.

Their lack of response means a potential safety threat to the community.

“We just take all of the matters and fractions of whatever cases and then it goes down to the hearing officers again,” he said.

KRQE went to a few of the addresses that are not in compliance and had the same luck as Animal Welfare. Some neighbors are worried about dangerous dogs in their neighborhood.

“There could always be a bad incident,” said a neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous.

Others say as long as the dog stays in the yard, they aren’t bothered.

“I would be concerned, but I’m not really concerned because I don’t really see a dog out running or coming out of the fence,” said another neighbor.

Along with criminal charges, owners could face fines and even have their dog taken away.

Click here for a full list of dangerous dogs in Albuquerque.