Case of a Little Nipper : Dachshund Held in Mini-Attack on Police Officer

It was hardly the attack of the killer dachshund, but the tiny pooch left his mark--on a Cypress police officer’s hand.

The disobedient doggie and its cohort, a small black canine, were held in separate pens Monday at the Orange County Animal Shelter, pending release to their masters.

They landed in the pokey after they wandered out into the intersection of Lincoln and Moody about 8 a.m. Sunday and created traffic problems, Police Lt. John Schaefer said.

“I imagine they were frightened,” Schaefer said of the dogs.

A police officer, whom Schaefer did not identify, ventured out into the intersection and pulled the black dog to safety. When the officer tried to pick up the brown dachshund, the pooch nipped the officer’s hand.

The officer was not seriously injured. The bite “broke the skin” but did not require treatment, and there was no threat of rabies, Schaefer said.

Ron Hudson, chief of special services for Orange County Animal Control, identified the black dog as a “beagle mix,” about two years old. The pooch is wearing tags, so its owner will be notified, he said.

The dachshund, a small male, also thought to be about two years old, does not have a license, but “he appears to be well cared for,” Hudson said.

No citation will be issued to the dachshund’s owner because no animal control officer witnessed the bite, Hudson said, even though no one is doubting the officer.

As long as the dog does not have a history of biting, Hudson said the owner will be given only a warning, with no charges filed.

“We would just encourage anyone missing that type of dog to contact Animal Control for their pet,” Schaefer said.