- 1). Look at the leash ticket. The ticket will contain the information you need to defend yourself. It may have specific instructions for appeal or it may have a phone number for "More Information."
- 2). Take action quickly. Depending on the town, county or state you live in, you might have as little as seven days to respond to the ticket. If you don't object to the ticket by then, you must pay the fine.
- 3). Appeal in the proper manner. You may just have to check off a box on the ticket and mail it back to the citing police station or city hall. You may have to call the number on the ticket and talk to the person in charge of appeals.
- 4). Get a hearing date, if applicable. Most ticket appeals will be heard by a civil judge during which you can explain your side of the story. It may be possible to write out your appeal and mail it back to the office for a judge to read.
- 5). Read your city, county or state's laws regarding leashes on pets. If you understand the law you'll be better equipped to argue the ticket in front of a judge. You can usually find the ordinance on your city's website.
- 6). Prepare a specific defense to get your ticket dismissed. You may get the ticket dropped if the ticket was written improperly - wrong date, incorrect boxes checked, misspelling of your name - without any other defense. You can challenge the officer's subjective view of the incident. Perhaps you and your dog hadn't stepped foot into the leash-park when the officer cited you.
- 7). Go to the hearing and get instructions on how to defend yourself. When called, explain your side of the story to the judge.
- 8). Tell the judge your extenuating circumstances. The judge can dismiss a ticket for reasonable causes. Perhaps your dog mistakenly escaped and you were running after him to leash him when the officer cited you.
- 9). Receive a judgment on your citation. The judge may decide to stay the judgment, decrease the fine or throw the citation out.
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