Judge exiles dog

A Pomeranian dog has been banished by a judge from the Colorado resort of Aspen after getting in trouble for biting and other bad behaviour.

Municipal Judge Brooke Peterson told the dog's owner, Melinda Goldrich, that if the dog is seen again in Aspen, it will be rounded up by animal control officers and put to death. Goldrich was in court on Wednesday on a charge of keeping a vicious dog.

An Aspen fitness club employee told The Aspen Times that the Pomeranian, named Gizmo, bit her in August while it was tied to a fence. The dog served 10 days in an animal shelter.

Goldrich had been under a court order to not leave Gizmo unattended after the dog bit another person in February. She also was cited in 2006 for the animal's bad behavior.

An out-of-town friend has offered to take the dog, it is reported.

Pomeranians are long-haired and small, typically 3 to 7 pounds (1.5 to 3 kilograms).