Man doesn't blame dog that bit off his finger

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Vancouver pastor said he won’t press charges after a dog bit off one of his fingers at a park.

Jerry Matthieu said a neighbor’s dog attacked him and bit his pinky finger off two weeks ago. A doctor couldn’t save the finger because the nerves were gone, Matthieu said.

The dog attacked Matthieu at Greyhawk Park. He said three women and a black lab approached him and he stepped out of the way for them.

“I said ‘good morning, ladies,’” said Matthieu. “I didn’t even see this dog coming. It bit me in the knee and took off my little finger.”

The women pulled the dog, named Finnegan, away immediately and called an ambulance.

Matthieu has learned how to live without his finger, but he said it hasn’t been easy. He’s used to writing out his sermons every week.

He says the dog’s owners have been very kind and supportive, and offered to pay for his medical treatment.

“They didn’t ask us for anything. They were just concerned about me and was I going to be alright,” said Matthieu.

Matthieu declined to press charges against the owners.

“Look, life has its difficulties,” he said.

A Clark County Animal Control spokesperson said they will cite the owners and label the dog dangerous.

The owners would have to follow several restrictions, including posting warning signs on their property, muzzling the dog and buying a $250,000 insurance policy on the animal.