Maps: 'Dangerous Dogs' identified in unincorporated Harris County

PHOTOS: Clusters of dogs declared dangerous in unincorporated Harris County Harris County Public Health maintains a map that shows the locations of dogs that have been declared dangerous by a justice of the peace. >>> Click through to see the areas with the highest concentration of "dangerous" dogs less Harris County Public Health maintains a map that shows the locations of dogs that have been declared dangerous by a justice of the peace. PHOTOS: Clusters of dogs declared dangerous in unincorporated Harris County Harris County Public Health maintains a map that shows the locations of dogs that have been declared dangerous by a justice of the Harris County Public Health maintains a map that shows the locations of dogs that have been declared dangerous by a justice of the ... more Photo: Harris County Public Health Photo: Harris County Public Health Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Maps: 'Dangerous Dogs' identified in unincorporated Harris County 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

If you have ever felt threatened by a dog, you were probably convinced it was dangerous. But having a canine formally declared as such is a different story.

Harris County Public Health officials say a canine has to be formally declared dangerous by a Harris County justice of the peace — a designation that imposes additional enclosure and insurance requirements for the owners. When that happens, the dog's location is highlighted on the county's interactive map showing all dogs declared dangerous in the county.

RELATED: Houston-area couple 'fearful' after video captured loose dogs mauling their cat to death

Despite more than 50 dogs identified as dangerous on the map, many people who call animal control or police about a dog don't end up filing it with the court, said Corey Steele, the Field Operation's Manager at Harris County Public Health.

"There's no correlation with that map and actual aggressive animals throughout the county," he said, later adding, "That map shows me the people who go to a justice of the peace to have their aggressive animals declared dangerous."

The map shows several clusters of dangerous dogs on the west side of the county, but Steele said to take that data with a grain of salt.

"I think [those residents] just feel more of a responsibility [to report]," Steele said.

According to Harris County Public Health, a dog is declared dangerous after one of two scenarios: The animal either makes an unprovoked attack that causes injury after escaping its enclosure, or the dog "commits unprovoked acts" outside its enclosure that causes a person to feel threatened.

One Houston-area couple recently filed to have a neighbor's dogs declared dangerous after the dogs were caught on video mauling the couple's cat to death.

It might seem like a long process, but the Harris County Public Health website lists the five steps to declare a dog dangerous.

The first and most import step is filing a Dangerous Dog affidavit with the court. The document asks for personal information, a description of the dog, the owner's name and address, and a description of the incident that led the person to believe its dangerous.

Then, a hearing usually takes place withing about two weeks of that filing, according to the public health website. Once a dog is declared dangerous, the owner has 30 days to comply with requirements, which includes liability insurance and a secure enclosure inspected by public health officials.

Of the 53 dogs on the map, 27 were a Mastiff/Pit Bull breed. The next highest breed category was German Shepherds, which accounted for five dangerous dogs. Surprisingly, several smaller dog breeds made the list: Dachsund, chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers.

Click through the slideshow to see some identifiable clusters of "dangerous dogs" in the county...

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.