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Page 1 of 35 Meridith & David Socha 3207 Silver Lake Road NE St. Anthony, MN 55418 St. Anthony Police Department Jon Mangseth, Chief of Police 3301 Silver Lake Road NE St. Anthony, MN 55418 St. Anthony City Councilmembers 3301 Silver Lake Road NE St. Anthony, MN 55418 Re: Appeal of Dangerous Dog Declaration Dear Chief Mangseth & City Councilmembers: We are respectfully appealing the declaration of our dog, Hammerheart, as a dangerous dog, to the City Council as the impartial hearing officer pursuant to Minnesota Statute 347.54 and City Code Section 91.44. The declaration was made in a June 11, 2020, letter from Detective Kiel Rushton with the St. Anthony Police Department. Introduction & Overview There were two incidents that gave rise to Hammerheart being declared a potentially dangerous dog and then a dangerous dog. Neither incident evidences an aggressive dog or a dog whom is intending harm. Hammerheart’s general disposition is extremely friendly and eager to please, which makes him highly trainable. It is our position that Hammerheart does not meet the definition of a dangerous dog primarily as the second incident on May 28, 2020, giving rise to the declaration, was not an aggressive bite. That said, we acknowledge that Hammerheart is a leash reactive dog, which is decidedly different than being aggressive or dangerous. As dog owners, we have taken precautions in response to his leash reactivity and have trained him to decrease his leash reactivity. In light of the recent incident and Hammerheart’s leash reactivity, we have intensified our training and will be taking additional handling precautions as it is clear our efforts were insufficient. In light of the dog’s overall disposition, continuing training, and safe handling precautions that we will be taking, we are confident Hammerheart does not pose a danger. 17