Florida man shoots and dismembers pet dog to retrieve son's severed finger

A Florida man killed and dismembered his pet dog on Friday after it bit down on his son's pinkey finger and didn't let go until the appendage was severed and swallowed whole.

When Luis Brignoni Sr., 41, learned that his son Fernando, 11, had just lost his finger to the family's dog Sassy on Friday, he did not hesitate to shoot the animal in the head and split it open, WTSP-TV in Tampa reported Monday.

It's not clear what triggered the dog, a Malamute-wolf mix, but Fernando said it attacked when he stuck his fingers into its cage. The boy was airlifted to a nearby hospital once the finger was retrieved, but surgeons were not able to reattach it.

Fernando is expected to make a fully recovery, minus the pinkey on his left hand.

"He might be missing a finger, but his other four are good," Brignoni told WTSP-TV. "'Cause God is good, you know. He still has four fingers to do everything that he can do with five. He can do with four."

This video is from WTSP-TV, aired Monday, April 1, 2013.

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Photo: Shutterstock.com.