Hotel heiress PARIS HILTON’s pet Chihuahua TINKERBELL has torn a chunk out of a TV show producer’s hand.

The pooch was accompanying Paris’ mother, KATHY HILTON, on American TV show TODAY, filmed in New York, when things suddenly turned violent backstage.

Kathy took the dog with her while promoting her new show I WANT TO BE A HILTON, after being enlisted with the job of minding Tinkerbell while Paris visited Los Angeles on business.

A show insider tells PAGESIX.COM, “Kathy knows everyone just wants to hear about or be with Paris, so since Paris couldn’t be there, she thought Tink was almost as good.”

But before she was interviewed by KATIE COURIC, Kathy was sitting in the green room when the producer came in and said, ‘Oh, Tinkerbell!’ She put her hand in Tink’s Louis Vuitton carrying case and it bit her hand.

“Tinkerbell wasn’t kidding - she really bit in good. The producer had to shake the dog off. It was a nasty bite.”