BOA OWNER ANGUISHED BY GUILT OF DEATH.

Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer

Angus Johnson, whose cherished boa constrictor Alissss escaped and devoured a pet Chihuahua, said Tuesday that he is tormented not only by the death of the dog, but also over being painted by the media as a cold-blooded reptile himself.

``She's not a monster and neither am I,'' Johnson said, referring to the boa he rescued in 1990 from a filthy cage in Birmingham, Ala. Johnson said the snake had broken her nose trying to escape the squalor.

Rescued by Johnson, Alissss sleeps under his pillow - or as his pillow - each night. Apparently the heat wave last week sent the 7-1/2-foot snake into a spin of unusual behavior that culminated in her making a meal of nearly 2-pound, not quite 2-year-old Babette.

Johnson lives less than half a mile from Flossie ``Jackie'' Torgerson, who watched in horror Saturday morning as her prized Chihuahua was asphyxiated and eaten by the boa on her enclosed patio in the West Hills neighborhood near Saticoy Street and Fallbrook Avenue.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, with three house cats roaming about, Johnson discussed his own ordeal since Alissss disappeared.

Johnson, who has a soft spot for abused animals, has rescued and nursed dozens of pets over the years, including other snakes, rabbits, cats and a chinchilla. He carries a wallet-size picture of his favorite cat, Buzzer, and a whole photo album of Alissss posing with friends and one with rocker Alice Cooper.

When Johnson read in the paper about Babette's fate, he said, he cried, agonized over the ordeal and then called Torgerson to apologize and try to offer amends.

``Calling Flossie was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,'' he said. ``She started crying and I started crying.''

But Tuesday afternoon, Johnson watched TV report after TV report labeling him a snake who had called Torgerson to merely say he wants his boa back.

``I still want to make it up to her, whether she wants to hate me or not. I still have to live with myself,'' Johnson said.

But Torgerson said she doubts his sincerity.

``I think I would kinda act like that, too,'' Torgerson said. ``I don't want to talk to him directly. I have absolutely no desire to talk to him directly.''

Torgerson has received a tremendous amount of calls of support and national media attention over the dog's death, which she photographed while it was happening. She also is rallying support for a petition she's dubbed ``Babette's Law'' to ban dangerous wild animals in Los Angeles neighborhoods.

``A lot of people's hearts are breaking over little Babette,'' Torgerson said.

Among those is Johnson. The 37-year-old guitar player has never made the big time in any of the bands he's played in over the years. To pay the bills for his music career, Johnson works 37 hours a week at a $6-an-hour telemarketing job, without benefits.

He arrived in West Hills in March, shortly after he and his fiancee broke up in Alaska.

``All I had was my guitar, the clothes on my back and Alissss,'' Johnson said.

The snake, a Colombian red tail boa, escaped Thursday night when Johnson moved a big fan in front of his back door for 10 minutes.

Johnson and his roommate searched the yard and neighborhood until 4 a.m. looking for Alissss, who normally is a slow mover. The next day, he alerted nearby neighbors and got permission to search their yards.

He was stunned to learn the snake traveled so far. Alissss wasn't due to eat for a week and normally doesn't travel very fast, Johnson said.

When Johnson visited Alissss at the Chatsworth animal shelter Tuesday, the officials there told him it's likely the record-setting heat caused the snake to speed up her pace and her feeding schedule.

Johnson, who has almost no assets to his name, said he and his friends are organizing a benefit show to help pay for another dog. Babette, an extremely tiny, long-haired breed, was valued at $1,500. Babette's mother, Koko, is pregnant again and Torgerson is thinking about making a pet of a new puppy due in September.

Alissss remains in the Chatsworth animal shelter but Johnson hopes to get her back.

Peter Persic, spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation, said the snake faces an uncertain future. ``At this point it would really be premature to say. Certainly the fact that it escaped and it wasn't contained would come into consideration in the investigation,'' he said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (Color) Angus Johnson, an avowed animal lover, hopes to make amends for the Chihuahua eaten by his snake, Alissss.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(2) Shirley Gooch's dog, Koko, is pregnant and may provide a replacement companion for Flossie Torgerson, whose pet was eaten by a boa.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News