Ski World Orlando's mascot Marley could be deemed dangerous after biting woman's face

ORLANDO, Fla. – Ski World Orlando's well-known dog Marley could be deemed dangerous after biting a woman's face, according to an Orange County Animal Services citation.

The 9-year-old Australian shepherd would greet everyone as they came in to Ski World Orlando.

According to the Animal Services citation Marley bit a woman's face last month, and now the Orange County agency is investigating.

Fans of the Australian shepherd rallied behind Marley on social media. Ski World Orlando's customers stood by the store mascot calling him a sweet dog and the act of violence an isolated incident.

Marley's owners were fined $265 for his first offense and the dog was mandated to attend pet classes. The dog was under the care of animal services and labeled as a vicious animal, according to the sporting goods store.

Store owners said Marley had an emergency hearing Wednesday where animal control officials deemed the dog was OK to go home.

Marley is not allowed to leave his owner's home until his case is resolved.

"I agree with the investigation, you can't have dogs biting people without figuring out why or what happened," Chadwick said.

Orange County Codes defines a dangerous dog as an animal that has aggressively bitten, attacked or endangered or has inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property. It omits this activity if the animal was aggressive to defend the owner or the owner's home or if a person was injured or attacked.

If an animal is deemed dangerous, Orange County code states the owner could petition to toss out the classification. Otherwise, the owner must register their animal as a dangerous dog. The dog must wear a dangerous dog identification tag that must be renewed annually.