A short handled axe/hatchet is inherently dangerous.
You said it. I'm pretty hand with a full-sized axe, if I do say so myself, but I've came within millimeters of losing a toe or a finger to a hatchet more times than I like to admit. I think I'd go with something like the "Hudson Bay" axe - a light head, but a 17" to 20" handle for control.