HOUSTON—The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there are 630,000 pet dogs in Houston.

But the city has only licensed 32,024. 

That means only one out of every 20 dogs is legal.

But why does Fido need a license?

The license means the dog has been vaccinated, and it could be required for grooming or boarding services.

And if the dearth of dog licenses wasn’t bad enough, the cats are even more criminal.

Of the 576,000 pet cats in the city, just 12,104 have city licenses – that’s one out of 50!

“We’ve got a ways to go,” Kent Robertson of BARC said.

But now Houston’s solution could come knocking on your door.

Two employees from BARC have taken to the streets, checking for unlicensed dogs.

So far they’ve found 500.

And they’ll take owners to court if they don’t comply.

Mandie Burnett wants to license her pooch, Dixie, but says she can’t figure out how.

“I’ve been looking on the Web site, but I really can’t find it,” she said.

She’s not the only one.

“We do not make it easy for the citizens of Houston to do it, and that’s why we have so few people complying,” City Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck said.

To make things easier, the city may start requiring vets to issue the licenses themselves when they vaccinate pets.

Some vets don’t like that idea.

They say their job is to keep pets healthy, not to enforce the law.