West v. Municipality of Anchorage

OPINION

CARPENETI, Justice.

I. INTRODUCTION

A dog bit or pawed a seven-week-old baby, causing several scratches along the baby's face and forehead. After an investigation, an Anchorage animal control enforcement officer concluded that the dog should be classified as a "level three" animal, defined by the city code as one that, "while under restraint, inflicts an aggressive bite or causes any physical injury to any human." An administrative hearing officer upheld this classification, as did the superior court. The dog's owner appeals. Because the hearing officer applied the correct burden of…