Little Misha might spend her spare time licking faces and looking pretty in pink, but city officials believe the eightpound pooch has a dark side.
The three-year-old chihuahua is now on the City of Windsor’s dangerous dog registry after she got out of the house and nipped a teenage girl.
“I was in shock when the city showed up,” said Gerry Piche, whose stepdaughter owns Misha. They showed up on several occasions. One time, there was two of them on the front porch. It was like the dog was a killer or something. I broke out laughing. I said ‘look at the dog, do you see the dog going after you?’ The guy kind of got upset when I started laughing at him. It’s ridiculous.”
Misha’s owner, Kristin Lees, has appealed the dangerous dog designation.
The Windsor Licensing Commission, which handles such hearings, was set to make a decision this week but postponed it until March.
On Sept. 23, 2011, three teenage girls were walking past Misha’s house in the 1600 block of Hall Avenue.
Piche said he was on his front porch and opened the door to get something from the house. Misha slipped out and went running toward the girls.
“I shooed the dog with my foot,” victim Jessica Cosgrove recalled in a written statement. “I realized it bit me.”
She wrote that the dog also tried to bite her friend Katherine then “went after” Morgan, her other friend.
“She screamed and the dog kept barking,” Cosgrove wrote. “She shooed the dog with her foot.”
Piche said he came over and grabbed the dog.
“Next thing you know the mother was here, wanted to see the paperwork,” he said.
Lees said an animal control officer later showed up at her door to tell her Misha had been deemed a dangerous dog. Lees had to go to court.
“I think it’s hilarious,” said Lees, 22. “I don’t think it’s right. If you can’t protect yourself from this dog . It’s an eight-pound dog. It blew my mind. How are you going to claim this dog is a dangerous dog? I’m not going to walk my dog down the street with a muzzle. That’s what they’re telling me I have to do.”
In addition to putting a pint-sized muzzle on Misha whenever she’s not confined, Lees must put up a sign in her yard warning a dangerous dog lives there. If the dog is on someone else’s property, it must be on a leash at all times and under the control of someone aged 16 or older.
Lees also has to pay to have a microchip implanted in Misha that identifies her as dangerous, and get liability insurance on the dog for at least $1 million.
Lees said she was also handed a $500 fine, but convinced the Crown prosecutor to reduce it to $250.
Those rules go for every dog declared dangerous in Windsor. The list currently includes 15 dogs, including a springer spaniel, a border collie, three huskies, a Doberman, two Rottweilers, an American Eskimo and a boxer. There are two German shepherds on the list including Kasen. Before his new owners changed his name, Kasen was known as A.K., the dog that made national headlines when his ears were chopped off. After the dog was rescued, he bit someone last year.
There are also two Jack Russell terriers and a shih tzu on the list.
That tally doesn’t include a couple of recent additions that have been appealed, including Misha. Also not on the list is Sampson, which bit a mail carrier on the backside. His owners also appealed his dangerous dog designation, but the commission shot it down this week.
On paper, Misha might not seem as intimidating as Sampson the German shepherd, but the city says size doesn’t matter.
“It still bites,” said Michael Chantler, deputy license commissioner and supervisor of licencing. “It’s still got teeth and it’s still an animal. It’s just the bite is smaller.
“Size is never the issue. Every animal has the potential to bite and it could be a 10-pound chihuahua.”
Watching Misha lick Lees’ face while begging for her favourite pink sweater, Piche still said the whole thing is comical.
“It’s the biggest laugh I’ve ever seen,” he said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s a joke. They’ve got nothing better to do with their money? They’re tying up a Crown. Come on. It’s nuts. I just shook my head. It didn’t even break the skin.”
In another written statement, Cosgrove’s mother Tirra said the bite did break the skin.
“You could clearly see the mouth top and bottom outline of the dog’s mouth,” she wrote.
Either way, Chantler said the severity of the bite is irrelevant. He added the dog doesn’t even have to bite someone to be labelled dangerous. It only has to cause an injury, which could happen from knocking a person down.
“Whether the dog bit down hard or not is not up for discussion,” he said. “But people try to use that as a defence. ‘It wasn’t that bad.’ Well it doesn’t have to be that bad. It just has to be an injury. If your dog is causing injury to someone, I suggest to you that you have a dangerous dog. Domestic pets should not be causing injury to people.”
To successfully appeal the dangerous designation, Chantler said, mitigating factors must be proved. He said such factors might arise if the dog or its owner were being attacked. But it’s an uphill battle.
“Especially if your dog has bitten someone or caused injury to someone,” said Chantler.
“It’s very clear in the bylaw. If your dog causes injury to someone or to a domestic animal, and there are no mitigating circumstances, it’s a dangerous dog. There’s a reason for that, and it’s public safety.”
Coun. Al Maghnieh, a member of the licensing commission, said he can’t comment on the possible outcome of Misha’s appeal.
But he added that he thinks the city’s bylaw needs to be updated and “made more logical.
“In it’s form right now it’s posing some challenges for us designating these eight-pound dogs, for example, that are quite harmless,” he said. “There are mitigating circumstances sometimes that I think should be considered. I don’t think this bylaw fully covers that, fully appreciates the whole scope of an animal. I think we’ve got room there. We can improve that bylaw to not have to designate every single dog as dangerous because it was involved in somewhat of a light incident.”
cute:)
OMG! overprotective mothers and whimpy kids!! put them in a muzell!
I feel there were two mistakes here. 1) the girls walking did not react in a proper manner to a dog that was acting aggressive. Even it was not aggressive, the girls felt it was and they did not act appropriately. “shooing” a barking dog is not very smart. Those girls should also be required to take some form of dog class where they learn to understand body language and how to react.
2) the dog should not have gotten out of the house. Poor management on the owners part.
I have worked in a veterinary hospital for 13 yrs. Chihuahua’s are often snappy. I’m not surprised this happened. It’s often the small dogs who act inappropriately because their owners don’t treat them as dogs, but little babies (like dressing them). They often get away with bad behaviors because they are small and cute. People like to carry them around giving the dog a false sense of authority being up above everything. People will often not tolerate the same behaviors in a large dog. The sad thing, is that if this were a pit bull, the press would have been all over this.
People need to be responsible for their dogs behaviour no matter what breed.
FINALLY! A locality is doing the right thing about dangerous dogs! I don’t care that the owner thinks her dog, a Chihuahua, doesn’t do much harm – it charged and bit at least one person. This is the right way to declare a dangerous dog.
Wow… the owner needs to face up to reality. Her dog can cause harm. To literally run out of the house nd bite a girl nd then potentially run after the other 2, then laugh about it? This dog needs to be put under control. I agree with authorities. There are dogs on the list that are “labeled” as non violent dogs. I am also very glad to see there were no pitbulls on the list 🙂 … if my chuahaha did the same thing THIS chuahaha did, i would face up to my responsibility cuz its MY dog. … but i also think the girl should have taken pictures of the bite no matter if it broke skin or not cuz there still would have been at least a red spot … but, i hope the owner can face reality nd get her dog stablized so it dont happen again
I am absolutely sure there was no mark on the girl. It sounds like the dog bite her shoe if he bit anywhere! The dog is tiny it could not jump up and bite her and at no time does it say that they touched the dog. People are freaking ridiculous! This country is a freaking joke!
Chris, the owner herself stated that her dog bit the girl “on the back of her calf”. So I doubt that the dog bit the girl’s shoe.
Your tune would be different if this dog was bigger. A dog is a dog regardless of it’s size. What you need to understand is all of them need to be treated equal. What if this chihuahua had attacked a toddler? Or an infant? Would you continue to think the same way? The dog acted inappropriately and they said it right in the article, Domestic pets should not hurt people.
THis dog BIT someone, I have a Chihuahua who is well behaved but he has bit me in what I call a Chihuahua blackout and it drew blood. If it had been a toddler who was knocked over and bit in the face would you feel the same way? I don’t care how big your dog is, if it is rude and doesn’t listen to voice commands and bites someone, that’s a dangerous dog. I suppose if the teenager had kicked it across the street and broken it’s ribs you’d be having a fit.
I agree with the designation. As a dog owner, you are responsible for your pet’s behavior, regardless of the animal’s size. I would accept responsibility if my pet showed aggression to anyone. The public has a right to walk by a house without worrying about being attacked by a person’s dog, regardless of the size. It’s not like the dog just barked–she actually attacked the girls and this is not appropriate behavior. Why should it be fair for a small dog to get away with biting while a big dog doesn’t? If this dog were a larger breed, there wouldn’t be such a big deal about it. Once a dog bites, they are likely to do it again, and the next time, it could be worse then just a ‘nip’.
I don’t care how big or small a dog is. It’s right that this dog is declared dangerous. My 2year old son was attacked by a chihuahua that came running out of its home. Sure it’s not a big dog- but it still has teeth.
Granted the owner should have watched her dog more carefully to not have let it run out in the first place BUT………………..i’d love to have seen how she shooed away this dog – just how hard did she have to kick the poor thing to initiate a bite? The girls in my opinion are at fault, not the dog, the dog’s not going to bite without being provoked!
dogs bite without being provoked all the time! Did the girls provoke the dog to charge after them in the street? Again, it it was a big dog that did that, even without the bite I bet the owner would have got in trouble for terrifying 3 passers by.
The dog’s first reaction shouldn’t have been to run out the first open door and into the street after people! If the dog was bigger everyone would be shocked and horrified! The only reason anyone thinks this is ridiculous is because everyone treats little dogs like they’re playthings and not animals! A well behaved dog wouldn’t go running out into the street and attack people!
The problem here is the owner. In my experience, little dogs tend to be more aggressive than big dogs primarily because people baby them and do not treat them like dog, also because when they act out, people like this owner, clearly think it’s “Hilarious” or “ridiculous” or they laugh and think it’s so cute!
Just because the darn thing is small doesn’t mean it isn’t aggressive. Yes, the girls didn’t behave properly and probably didn’t help their cause with this, clearly aggressive, dog, but if the owner treated the dog with respect and treated him/her like a dog and not a doll that requires dressing up, this wouldn’t have happened.
I walk my dogs all the time, 90% of the time it’s little dogs that come running charging and attacking. Lucky for them, my two huge dogs, are docile and well mannered, or they would have them for lunch. On one occasion, this little dog came all he way out onto the street and charged at my dog and almost bit me. The owner came out, picked her dog up and began petting it and saying, “Good Dog” way to reinforce bad behavior!!!! She didn’t even bother to apologize. I had to give the owner a piece of my mind and told her to reverse the situation. How would she feel if she was out walking her little dog and my 120 lb and 80 lb dogs came out to the street charging and attacking!!!! I blame the owner and that over-pampered fashion accessory!
Again, the only one to blame here is the owner!!! Respect your dog, treat him as such with love, affection, discipline provide for his/her needs first, not yours and both owner and dog will be much happier.
Very well put Rebbecca, couldn’t have said it better! That IS the problem. people think that small dogs, because they are cute, they are toys. THEY ARE NOT!
I own a chi myself and I do not dress nor carry him around. My chi knows who the alfa here is and it’s NOT him !
Sick and tired of dogs getting blamed. The owner of this chihuahua in the article is a clear example of how NOT to treat a small dog! clearly she’s not a responsible owner nor she cares and sadly because of ignorant , irresponsible people like her, dogs get the blame and a bad reputation.
I also have a Chi and the only time he ever HAS to wear a sweater is in the snow. and he hates it. I feel so sad for these Chihuahuas that are humiliated and forced to wear doll outfits. Ridiculous!
Are you serious? I am sure that was a horrible bite from an 8 pound dog. Does she still have her leg? C’mon Canada anybody got any brains. Shame on you.
Shame on you. The worst offenders for dog bites are the small dogs and they get to get away with it because they are small. You are discriminatory towards size and not even considering that there have been people badly hurt by small dogs. The woman in the states who had her nose bit off at her workplace because of a small dog. The baby torn apart by two jack russells. There are many incidents of people being HURT by small dogs. They don’t have to be mauled for it to make a difference. It’s the fact that they were HURT. That is NOT acceptable and the fact that you think so purely from your mocking tone is very sad. Shame on you.
It might not be a big bite on an adult but it could severly injure a child. Plus does the dog have his shots? Could the person be immunosuppressed and get a severe infection. Dogs should be taught not to bite no matter the size. However people should not kick at a dog either.
I agree with it… If a dog bites someone, it’s dangerous. Regardless if it’s a chihuahua, a collie, a pitbull, or a husky. Etc. People needa learn to tame their dogs… And I’m happy this place isn’t all BSL, all dogs are dogs…
BSL is in effect in ontario.
I don’t even know where to start… all I know is that I had to get rid of my pomeranian as she did in fact bite my little one… left teeth marks on his face. Little dogs do silly things, it’s not a matter of bad ownership, it’s just the idea that when you’re that little, you gotta act just that much bigger to be taken seriously. In the end, I’m happy to see that no matter what size the animal, the punishments are the same.. they should be… we don’t have seperate rules for people depending on their size… doing wrong is just that.. wrong. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad dog, just means it made a mistake that can hopefully be corrected.
As Cesar Milan says (paraphrased): It’s the Humans that need training most the time, NOT the dog. This young woman and her father completely miss the point and, quite frankly, show absolutely no regard for the 3 young women the dog attacked. The young ladies attacked do not need to go to classes. The owner and her father need the classes on proper dog ownership and empathy towards others. Their attitudes blew my mind, quite frankly. Not even an apology?
You are SO right! I think this situation is definitely made worse by the fact that this owner is laughing and thinks it’s funny that her dog attacked someone. Pretty ignorant and definitely lacks empathy. Maybe if the owner spent less money on dog clothes and more money on dog **training**, she wouldn’t have such a misbehaving dog?
This little dog is being set up for failure, and I sincerely hope for all involved that the next creature this chihuahua tries to attack isn’t a big dog who doesn’t appreciate being bitten or attacked. Could end very badly for all involved.
Regardless of the size of the animal, its up to the owner to control and socialize their animals. It’s great that their holding the owner accountable and not the dog. This is how stupid laws (BSL) come in to play. Imagine how much this law has cost us taxpayers since 2005
I agree that the dog’s owners could’ve been more apologetic but this is still outrageous. People are allowed to make mistakes and dogs should be too. There was no blood involved and so this whole thing is pathetic. Some moms need to just calm down. Dogs seem to be treated as usless animals than family members these days. Animal lovers need better representation in the government.
I’d be interested to see if your tune would be different if the dog was bigger, as sometimes one mistake is all it takes. What if that chihuahua had bitten off her nose? Or had bitten off a finger? They are perfectly capable of that. Realize too that it’s not everyone’s first reaction to kick and defend themselves from a dog – it is someone’s family pet after all. An injury is an injury and ones that can cause bodily harm, regardless of how severe, should not be tolerated. Humans tend to make verbal mistakes, not physical.
Dog owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control. I realize a small dog like that cant do major damage, but if my big dog isnt allowed to act like that. There shouldnt be a double standard for size.
Interesting points made by all. It’s true, the owner is ultimately responsible and despite all the PR on social networks it surprises me how many people are clueless still, stuck in their own attitudes, which lead to dogs that are out of control. At the same time, accidents do happen and the truth is a chihuahua really can’t kill a person, so I don’t get the “dangerous animal” part, sorry big guys. I do know chihuahuas can be very upsetting though. They aren’t prone to licking strangers faces in joy to see them.
But, the bottom line here is I feel we really don’t have enough info to make judgement, we weren’t there and I don’t think the article is clear. What one calls a “nip” might not be what I think of as a nip. Was the dog really that ugly or was the mother really that overprotective? Is the owner being so “flippant” out of defense or is she really that . . . childish that she is OK with her dog causing this kind of upset in others? Possibly a sad mix of all the above.
LOL….this is rediculous all around! First off the girl and her mother are idiots looking for attention!! At most…the mother should have talked to the owners letting them know what happened…the owners should have just apologized and in future make sure their little gremlin doesnt get out! LOL NO AUTHORITIES should have been involved total BS!!!! As a mother myself…and a pet groomer that deals with all kinds of dogs and aggressive ones, if my child is nipped by a tiny dog, im not going to seek out punishment for the dog thats not right these BS BSL laws need to stop!!! ARE WE GOING TO START labeling our children as dangerous when they bite in preschool or fight in the playground?? lol Its one thing to be attacked by a dog that is out for blood and reporting that…but reporting a nipper is rediculous and a waste of money and time!!! Id be embarressed if i was that girl…i dont believe what so ever that she had any marks…if she was shooing the dog away..that means it was after her shoe if anything and im sure she was acting like an idiot shoooing it making the dog wanna nip her! I agree with previous poster…TEACH YOUR KIDS how to handle a dog coming at them!!!!
You must not know much about BSL. What Windsor implemented was a dangerous dog law, not a breed specific one. If you read the entire article you’d see that on their dangerous dog list is a variety of dogs from as small as this chihuahua to as large as the huskies on there. And for someone with experience working with dogs, you’d know how bad the small ones can be and it’s not acceptable for any of them to hurt anyone. The only reason why you’re so flippant about this situation is because you consider this dog to be a nipper because it’s so small. Your attitude would be very different if it was a bigger dog.
I’m kind of surprised by how many comments are made on here that excuse this dog’s behaviour because of her size. In no way was this the fault of the girl who got bit. Not everyone is dog savvy, nor does everyone need to be, if they don’t like dogs, or don’t have their own dogs as pets. It’s a natural reaction to “shoo” something away from you that is biting or attacking you, regardless of the animal’s size, so I do empathize with the victim in this circumstance.
As well, it is entirely incorrect to state that small dogs can’t “do damage” to a person. A woman who lived in my old apartment building needed to have reconstructive surgery on her achilles tendon, after a chihuahua attacked her while she was unlocking her apartment door. The owner of the dog didn’t exercise the chi properly, and instead allowed it to run the hallways of this particular apartment building. Because of the shape of the building, my neighbour did not see the dog coming, and it attached itself to her achilles, causing great damage (and great expense) to have it repaired. As well, there is a well-documented case in San Francisco of a 6-week old infant being mauled to death by the family’s pomeranian, so while injuries (and death) are highly unlikely, they are not unheard of.
My biggest concern lies with the owner. Why are people blaming the victim and not the owner for allowing this dog to slip outside? I have a 100 lb. rottweiler mix, and he has been trained to never run outside the door. In fact, I could leave the door open all day, every day, and he would never walk through that open doorway. Why? Because we spent alot of time, money and love, making sure he was properly trained. In our busy urban neighbourhood, our dog gets “attacked” daily by chihuahuas, poms, yorkies, and the like, who have owners that either 1.) think it’s super cute that their purse dog is biting away at my dog’s ankle, or b.) are too busy talking on their iPhones or texting on their Blackberry devices to notice their dog’s poor behaviour. Because my dog is a therapy dog-in-training, he knows to heel and do nothing, and I am usually left to pluck the purse dog from my dog’s ankle. Conversely, there are many responsible owners of small dogs who treat their dogs like dogs (and not accessories) and they have wonderful respect for, and play times with, my gentle giant.
To absolve this owner of wrong-doing, simply because her dog is ‘eight pounds’ is not only hypocritical, it’s dangerous and it’s setting this dog up for failure. If she came busting out at my big dog, she’d meet a very kind, respectful dog. But the next time she did it, she may not be so lucky. But to have an owner who has verbally admitted that she won’t follow the ordinance (by refusing to muzzle her dog), as well as laughed, on camera, at the victim of her dog’s bite, illustrates that owner’s ignorance. Instead of suggesting the victim go to classes to understand dog behaviour, don’t you think we should actually start with the owner of the dog that ran out of its house and attacked an innocent teenager?
idk i think its fair because what if it had been a young child… even a tiny toy breed can do serious harm to a child and even if your dog is small if you know it has a tendency to bite its not funny and its the owners responsibility to make sure that dog isnt a danger to anyone. they should have taken their dogs behavior seriously and been more responsible its no ones fault but the owners.
You want to own an animal in the city, that’s your choice. With that choice comes the responsibility to keep your animal under control and not negatively impact the lives of other citizens. Good job Windsor, stick to your guns, until people “get it”.
your lucky your dog wasn’t bigger. she could have done some damage. My dogs have to wear muzzles and they’ve never bit anyone, but hey that’s cause they are pitbulls.
I agree with the city. I can only imagine if these owners had a large dog it too would be aggressive. I have a chihuahua myself, and I love her to bits, she has sweaters and even a dress. She sleeps with me in a bed, and even has her own carrier/purse meant for dogs. But even though she has all these things she is also treated like a dog. She went to classes for socialization, she eats dog food, and if she ever even growled at a person despite her size -she is 8 pounds too- she would be reprimanded and made to go through extensive training. Part of being a responsible owner is not being ignorant to your dogs bad behaviour.
I’m more curious when there are certain humans that will be deemed dangerous and have to be muzzled & leashed? Cause humans are more dangerous than a little dog. This is beyond idiotic.
Those girls did the wrong thing when the dog came at them
this is not idiotic at all! whether it be a small dog or a large dog it should be disciplined for biting.
Im pretty sure ppls tunes would change if it was a 100lb mastiff! oh and angie if u had a lil dog and its intent was to bite me I would kick it not shoo it away
Notice there are no pittbulls on the dangerous dog list 🙂
Wow I live in the Niagara area of Ontario. My daughters dog (a puggle) bit someone when she got loose, the health dept comes and you have to keep your dog quaranteened for 10 days, be up to date on the rabies shots, take the proper precautions that it does not happen again, and they come and investigate that the dog is not vicious. Story over, no fine, no court case, no dangerous offender ruling, no muzzel. I think the City of Windsor is going a little over board on this case. It was an accident sure that should of never happened, but just that an accident.
chihuahua are vicious lil shi8ts i would trust 20 pitbulls before i would trust one chihuahua around my kids….
p,s they are vicious due to there owners giving them everything.. i know that it is not the dogs fault that owners are stupid
If that 10 pound dog had been a 50 lb. Pit Bull portraying the same behavior, it would not be seen as a laughing matter. That needs to be taken into consideration. A 10 lb. dog needs to be under control just as much as a 50 lb. one. If you can’t train and control your small dog, then you shouldn’t have a dog.