Rescued dog attacks owner, destroys his face

Photo by apdk

​A retired Minnesota police officer has extreme wounds on his face after the bulldog he adopted this year attacked him, tearing off his ear and much of the skin on his face.

Jim Stewart, 53, is still hospitalized after multiple surgeries to repair his severed ear and repair his face. Stewart has adopted the bulldog, Igor, from a rescue group in Texas about five months ago. He had lost his American bulldog of eight years in May and was looking for a new companion.

Amy Klinefelter is the owner of the town home that she shares with Stewart. She said the dog was sweet and happily coexisted with her, her dog and their two cats.

The story of the attack is horrific, but you can read about it below. Klinefelter heard a strange noise around 9:30 p.m. Sunday while Stewart was in the basement watching TV. There was no shouting or growling, but a strange thumping sound.

From the Pioneer Press:

She went downstairs to see a nightmarish scene -- the dog standing over a barely conscious Stewart. Blood was spattered about, the skin of the lower half of Stewart's face was hanging loose, and one of his ears was on the floor.

The dog made no sound and wasn't moving around. Klinefelter grabbed it. "He was not barking," she said. "He just looked at me."

Klinefelter shoved the dog into the garage and called for help.

The 911 operator told her to put a towel on Stewart's face. "She said, 'I can't -- his face is gone!' " said Wess. "(Igor) ripped one of his eyelids but not the eye, thank God."

One of Stewart's ears won't be repaired, but there is still hope for the other one. Igor is currently in quarantine for a rabies test and will then be euthanized.