The new location of the impound facility run by the Faribault County Humane Society is pictured above. The Blue Earth City Council held a special meeting about an incident at the facility where a dog died.

The Blue Earth City Council called a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 14, to discuss an incident which occurred at the Faribault County Humane Society (FCHS) on Aug. 8.

City staff felt the incident, which resulted in the death of an impounded dog, Bear, warranted discussion regarding protocol for impounded dogs held at the FCHS.

The city has contracted with the FCHS since April 17. On that day, the city entered into an agreement for kenneling space and services with the organization.

Bear came to be held at the FCHS after he was declared Potentially Dangerous by city staff on July 27.

The declaration followed an incident on July 26 in which Bear bit a child at the home of his owners, Elizabeth and Anthony Minor.

Allegedly, the victim and her sisters had been visiting without the Minors’ knowledge. Elizabeth Minor had educated the children not to interact with Bear, and kept Bear separate from the rest of the house with a gate.

Reportedly, the children opened the gate to go into the kitchen. The child who was injured then sat down on a couch in the gated area, at which time Bear bit her.

Bear was up-to-date on his vaccinations at the time of the incident, but, as he was not registered with the city, he was held at the FCHS after he was declared Potentially Dangerous.

The Minors appealed the declaration and a hearing was scheduled on Aug. 7.

During the hearing, Anthony Minor stated, “We’ve had (Bear) for 10 years. We rescued him when he was young from an abusive individual…because the house rule was broken, the incident happened.” 

He added, “My wife takes care of him. It’s her companion dog.” 

Following Minor’s testimony, the council agreed to remove Bear’s designation as Potentially Dangerous. He was to be released to the Minors once he had been registered with the city and the Minors had paid his impoundment and release fees.

City administrator Mary Kennedy said the Minors were at City Hall completing the necessary steps for Bear’s release when she learned of Bear’s death.

“That was devastating to everyone involved,” Kennedy said.

An unofficial report states law enforcement was dispatched to the FCHS at approximately 10 a.m. on Aug. 8, shortly after the incident occurred.

Allegedly, an FCHS volunteer let two larger dogs - Shaggy and Cheyanne – out of their kennels to go outside. Somehow, Bear got out of his kennel, but no one is certain how he escaped as there are no direct eye witnesses to the incident.

Reportedly, the volunteer briefly turned her back on the dogs, and heard barking and growling. When she turned around, she observed Shaggy attacking Bear. She was briefly able to pull the larger dogs away, but they broke loose from her grip and continued the attack.

The volunteer was eventually able to break up the fight by getting both Shaggy and Cheyanne to go outside and shutting the door.

The volunteer said she witnessed Shaggy lifting Bear up by the neck. She could not recall if Cheyanne was biting Bear as well, although she was nearby.

Bear was reportedly still alive following the attack, but he had succumbed to his injuries by the time he had been transported to Makotah Veterinary Center. He is said to have sustained multiple puncture wounds on his head and neck, as well as deep lacerations to his belly and back right leg.

The Minors were contacted by both the clinic and the FCHS following Bear’s death, and the FCHS will take responsibility for his veterinary bills.

Both Shaggy and Cheyanne have been declared Dangerous Dogs. As of last Monday, they were being held at Paws for Cause.

Kennedy wished to discuss preventative measures to ensure the future safety and security of impounded dogs at the FCHS.

“God forbid, moving forward, anything like this would happen again,” she said.

Kennedy said a separate incident occurred on Aug. 8 involving a dog, Sigma, who had also been declared Potentially Dangerous on July 27. Like Bear, Sigma was being held at the FCHS.

On the day of Bear’s death, Sigma jumped the six-foot fence surrounding the FCHS’s outdoor enclosure.

FCHS president Debby Johnson noted that the incident was highly unusual – she has never before seen a dog clear the FCHS’s fence.

However, Kennedy said, “These are two concerning events. When animals are impounded, they are (the city’s) responsibility.” 

The council asked Johnson what the FCHS’s policies are regarding the city’s impounded animals.

Johnson responded that all of the animals are kept in their own enclosures, and two labeled enclosures are permanently set aside for impounded animals. As to letting dogs mingle, Johnson explained, “We’ve never, ever let dogs out randomly unless we know that they can go out together.” 

Johnson said Shaggy and Cheyanne are known to get along very well, and they are often let out at the same time. The dogs are typically not leashed for the walk from their enclosures to the door because the rest of the dogs in the facility should be caged at that time.

Johnson added, “I don’t know how (Bear’s) cage got open.” 

She acknowledged that Shaggy has bitten other dogs on two separate occasions, but he has not exhibited the behavior for the past several months.

Johnson said, “I just can’t imagine him being a dangerous dog. He is like a giant teddy bear. We feel horrible that it happened, but at the same time, we have trouble believing that it was not provoked. I’d put money on it that the dog perhaps nipped Shaggy, and he retaliated.” 

However, the council was less interested in discussing why the incident had occurred than in discussing how to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.

“We hired you guys to do a job. The dog you had of ours is now dead,” mayor Rick Scholtes said. “I have no idea what’s going to happen going forward. It could be a lawsuit, it might not be.”

He added, “We had just told the family the night before they could get the dog first thing in the morning - that didn’t happen. They don’t have their pet, or, in their situation, family member.” 

Scholtes suggested an amendment to the city’s agreement with the FCHS, such as a clause requiring that impounded dogs always be let out separately from the FCHS’s other dogs.

Council member John Huisman, however, argued that the agreement is too new to amend just yet.

“This is way too early to look at making any changes, in my opinion,” Huisman said. “Four months isn’t long enough to establish any patterns of wrongdoing.” 

He recommended installing cameras at the FCHS, however, so the city and FCHS have documentation of any future incidents.

Johnson said the FCHS is also researching other preventative measures, such as double locks on cages and a humane spray designed to break up dog fights.

The City Council took no action following the conclusion of the discussion.

“We’re not making any decisions today,” Kennedy reminded the council. “This is just informational so we can digest, and decide what to do going forward.”