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Page 3 of 35 runner; the classic signs of aggression being flat ears, raised scruff/raised fur on back, growling, snarling, showing teeth, or foaming of the mouth. We have taken precautions while walking Hammerheart in light of his leash reactivity, primarily to avoid him jumping on someone. These precautions have included the following:  We walk both dogs on either a four or six foot leash with traffic control handles (handles that you can grab close to the dog to shorten their leash when situations call for it).  Hammerheart is walked in a front clip walking harness that subdues him and limits his ability to pull since when he pulls, his own pull turns him sideways and trains him not to pull. The harness generally puts him in a mindset that we are in “walk” mode and not a “run around wild and play” mode, resulting in a more subdued/less excited dog.  When we walk, we avoid highly populated areas such as parks or the sidewalks; if we do go briefly onto a sidewalk, we are diligent and usually walk them with the traffic control handle in hand.  We use verbal control in line with the dogs’ training to control them on walks.  We generally limit the people who walk Hammerheart to ourselves and a few select adults familiar with Hammerheart. There have admittedly been many cases in which Hammerheart jumps at runners and bicyclists, but none have resulted in Hammerheart making contact or even getting close to making contact with the runner or bicyclist other than the two incidents both reported to the police as described below. Both dogs have been walked extensively; Meridith on average has walked the dogs more than an hour each day during the spring, summer and fall seasons. Other than as described in this appeal, there has never been an incident in which Hammerheart has bite a person. Incident on April 25, 2019 On April 25, 2019, Meridith had Hammerheart on a long metal tether in our yard. It was a metal tether purchased from Petsmart made for a 100 pound dog. It was securely fastened to a fence corner post at the far side of our yard. The tether had been left outside over winter. A bicyclist came off Silver Lake Road and turned onto Hilldale Avenue outside our home at 3207 Silver Lake Road Northeast. Hammerheart ran to chase the bicyclist and the tether snapped; upon later inspection, the metal tether was brittle from being left out in the cold over the winter. The bicyclist, Keith Pearson, saw Hammerheart running towards him, stopped biking, and dismounted from the bike with the bike between him and Hammerheart. Mr. Pearson’s leg was in the air as he was dismounting when Hammerheart got there. Hammerheart grabbed the boot that was in the air with his mouth and held it there. Meridith was outside pulling weeds near the side entrance to our home on Hilldale Avenue. When Meridith realized that the tether had snapped, she hollered at Hammerheart two commands: “Hammerheart stop! Hammerheart come!” Meridith began running towards the street at that time. Hammertheart at that time (it was immediate or close to it) released the bicyclist’s boot and trotted back to Meridith, with his tail wagging. Meridith did not physically have to remove Hammerheart from the bicyclist; Meridith was only a few steps away from where she had been pulling weeds when Hammerheart got to her. There was no growling, flat ears, or raised fur or other signs of aggression at any time during the incident; there was excited barking. 19