SANTA FE COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – People in Santa Fe County say a bad dog owner has allowed the animals to roam freely and wreak havoc in the area.
One woman says the dogs killed her pet and wants the county to do something to keep it from happening again. “Two dogs are dead; that’s not funny,” says Sarah Leamy.
Sarah Leamy says three months ago, she left her Madrid property to go into town. “When I came back, I couldn’t find my one dog, Rosie,” Leamy says.
After a short search, she found Rosie’s body. “That sense of responsibility, that sense of helplessness. It’s horrendous. She was my friend,” Leamy says.
When Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, witnesses told them Rosie was attacked in her fenced yard by four pit bulls owned by a neighbor, Frank Ybarra. “His dogs have attacked people, humans, horses, donkeys, everything,” Leamy says.
According to court records, Ybarra has charges for vicious animals, animal restraint violations, lack of animal licenses and rabies vaccinations dating back to 2011. All but one of those charges have been dismissed by the court, and he’s not charged in this latest case.
Leamy believes irresponsible animal owners in Santa Fe County aren’t being held accountable. “They have done nothing to keep me safe, and I wonder if they’re waiting for a human to be killed,” Leamy says.
Ybarra did surrender his dogs to the Santa Fe County Animal Shelter, but Leamy fears it’s only a matter of time before he replaces them. “He cycles through them, every time this happens,” Leamy says.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office says Ybarra hasn’t been charged because of a lack of evidence. Leamy is now suing Ybarra for almost $9,000 for the pain his dogs have caused her and to fix her fence.
