Amber Heard is facing criminal charges in Australia after the actress had been accused of smuggling her dogs to the country in May.

The dog fiasco resulted in the 29-year-old getting charged with the illegal importation of Johnny Depp's dogs. This means the actress could potentially face up to 10 years in one of Australia's prisons. This week, Heard has been summoned by prosecutors to appear at a magistrates' court in the state of Queensland on September 7, according to CNN.

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Australian officials discovered that Heard and Depp, who had been shooting a film in the country at the time, snuck in their two Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo without proper quarantine.

Pistol and Boo were taken by the couple on a private flight without the permits necessary, therefore breaching Australia's strict biosecurity laws.

At the time, the government had given the Hollywood couple options, either take the dogs back to their country or have them put down, reported Gawker.

Naturally, the couple hurriedly took the pooches back to the States, but not before the Amber Heard dog fiasco.

According to prosecutors, Depp, 52, was not charged over the incident, but his wife, Heard, is apparently taking the fall for the canine controversy.

Heard now faces two charges of illegal import of animals and one charge of consciously producing a false or misleading document, according to a statement by Australia's Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions on Thursday.

Despite the Amber Heard dog fiasco, the actress's lawyers could still petition the court to appear on her behalf. However, since the charge was too serious, she would have to appear in person especially since she had been in Australia at the time, said criminal defense attorney Bill Potts, as cited by The Associated Press.

"The seriousness of the offense is not whether two little puppies--who look like they could give you a nasty nip on the ankle--are dreadful animals, it's about the risk to biosecurity," Potts said. "Was there a risk? Potentially, but not actually. And I'm sure the court will take all of those things into account."

There is a silver lining to the Amber Heard dog fiasco though. Heard would not need to face a lengthy jail term since she and Depp flew the dogs back to the United States before the 72-hour deadline ended, Potts added.

Since the Amber Heard dog fiasco took place, Depp appears to be trying to make a positive impression in Australia. Last week, he has reportedly visited a children's hospital wearing his "Pirates of the Caribbean" character, Capt. Jack Sparrow.

As for Heard, the actress recently revealed her not being a big fan of the country any longer. She made the comment to Australia's "Sunrise" morning show while promoting "Magic Mike XXL," according to The Inquisitr.

"I have a feeling we're going to avoid the land Down Under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there," she said.

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