Anchorage Assemblyman Tim Steele is contesting a $300 penalty from city animal control officers after his neighbor complained that one of his dogs, which was declared dangerous last year, was improperly loose in his yard.
Steele was fined $75 last year after his unleashed German shepherd killed Buttons, a small old dog in his neighborhood. His dog, Bristol, was declared dangerous enough to be kept in a locked enclosure or on a leash at all times, and muzzled in public.
Months later, on April 9, Buttons' owner Kay Marshall reported to animal control officers that Steele wasn't following the rules. She asserted Bristol was loose in Steele's backyard when the dog should have been in a kennel, and barking. Officers visited the property and wrote Steele a ticket with a $300 penalty.
Steele said in a brief interview Tuesday that while the dog was in the backyard, the yard was double-locked and he was there. He said he'll challenge the citation in a hearing May 5.
He also said he planned to not participate in the May 10 Assembly debate on a proposed city ordinance that would make it easier for animal control officers to ticket pet owners for code violations.