A father in Bradenton, Fla., took matters into his own hands Friday when he shot Sassy, the family dog, to retrieve his son's finger from its stomach.
Luis Brignoni Sr., 41, killed and cut open the Malamute-wolf after it swallowed 11-year-old Fernando Brignoni's pinky, WSTP reported. The boy, who'd stuck his finger in the dog's cage, was then airlifted to a local hospital, but doctors could not reattach the digit. Instead, they grafted skin from his forearm to the wound.
Brignoni Sr., took action after hearing his son screaming in their yard. The boy's 13-year-old brother, Luis, had hit Sassy with a stick to get him to release Fernando's finger. That's when their father "popped" the dog.
He told the Bradenton Herald he knew he had no choice.
"You don't know what you will do for your child," he said. "You don't know where you get the strength from."
According to a Manatee County Sheriff's Office incident report sent to the Huffington Post, when deputies arrived at the scene, Brignoni Sr. already had the dog open. He handed the severed finger to E.M.S. who told authorities that there were several other injuries to the boy's apendage, including a possible broken arm.
Animal Services took the dog's remains.
A preliminary investigation supports the father's account of events, and deputies said the incident appears to be an accident.
Fernando, meanwhile, is doing well and is scheduled to be released from the hospital on Monday, the Bradenton Herald reported.