Rescued dog mauls retired police officer in vicious attack

A dog rescued by a retired police officer attacked him on Sunday — inflicting hideous wounds on his face.

"The doctors and nurses have never seen anything like this," said John Wess, a friend of the victim.

Jim Stewart, 53, of Woodbury, reportedly suffered a severed ear and had the skin torn away from most of his face in the attack. He was listed on Thursday evening in good condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

"He has not seen himself in a mirror, and we are pretty worried about that," said Wess, a retired St. Paul police officer and longtime friend. "He was Mr. Hollywood, a good-looking guy who wouldn't talk to you without looking at his reflection in a window."

The attacker was a bulldog named Igor, which Stewart had obtained from an animal rescue group in Texas.

Ironically, someone representing the Texas group inspected the place where Igor would be living — to ensure "Jim was good enough to own the dog," said Amy Klinefelter, who owns the town home she shares with Stewart.