Before Canine Attacks, Owner Tells UPS Driver, 'Don't Worry, It's A Nice Dog'
(CBS) – A UPS delivery driver viciously attacked and mauled by a dog last week says he thought he was going to die.
For the first time, he's sharing the disturbing details.
Jesus Toledo, a husband and father of four, says he owes his life to a hero mail carrier who jumped in to help, CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.
Toledo was mauled from head to toe and lost part of his ear and his left thumb from the joint up. He underwent four hours of surgery to keep his right hand intact.
It all started Friday when he pulled up at an address where's he's been dropping packages weekly, for years. He heard a dog inside and asked the resident to keep the door closed.
"She said, 'Don't worry. It's a nice dog. I can handle it,'" Toledo says.
Before he could make it down the steps, the dog went for his feet, its teeth piercing Toledo's work boots. Then the animal went for his face.
He held the dog with both arms. But again he heard a horrible sound before a portion of his thumb hit the ground. Dazed, he fell backward
"I was screaming. I was crying for help," he says.
Then a mail carrier jumped in, pinning the dog to the ground with his body. Toledo says the carrier is "the angel God sent to save me."
"I'll always remember the day you risked your life, to save my life. Thank you," he says. "It meant a lot to me."
CBS 2 reached out to Chicago Animal Care and Control, where that dog's undergoing a 10-day rabies observation. Officials did not respond.
Toledo says he was told this animal will be put down. He asks pet owners to restrain their animals, for everyone's safety.