Animal Welfare: New noise complaint system is working

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare gets so many complaints about barking dogs and other noisy pets, they had to change the way they respond to those calls and so far, they say it’s working. The new system requires a written log documenting how often a pet is disruptive.

Animal Welfare says it’s helped weed out false reports. “Sometimes these aren’t actually legit complaints, sometimes it’s just to get on each other. With this new system it’s actually helping us, showing that the caller has to take charge and help us,” said Lt. Thomas Romero with the Animal Welfare Department.

Animal Welfare sends the pet owner a letter on the first offense, explaining they’ve received a noise complaint. If the pet owner doesn’t fix the issue within ten days, Animal Welfare will then send the complainant a noise log, which they are suppopsed to fill out every time the animal is noisy, detailing when the noise began and how long it lasted.

Since the new system went into effect, Lieutenant Romero says Animal Welfare has receieved about ten logs. One of them coming from a Ventana Ranch neighborhood. Now the owner of those dogs has to go to court.

Lieutenant Romero says the consequences vary by case and are ultimately up to a judge, but an Animal Welfare Officer will often be asked to suggest a solution. Romero says they typically suggest pet school, but he says it could also come with a $500 fine or up to 90 days in jail. He says they rarely suggest the removal of the pets.

Romero says dogs are not the only pets they receive noise complaints about. Right now, he says they are dealing with a case involving roosters.