...say what?



ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) - A Rockford man's life was saved by his dog after the dog bit off his big toe.

Jerry Douthett had an infection in his toe, which he refused to have treated. His wife, Rosie, had asked him for a month to go to a doctor, but he wouldn't go.

A few weekends ago, the couple went out to celebrate Rosie becoming an American citizen.

"I had probably five or six beers," Douthett said. "Then we went next door. They have these huge margaritas, think they're 32 ounces, and I killed it."

The drinks sedated him enough that he fell asleep when he went home. Rosie was in another room.

"I woke up and the dog was laying alongside my foot, then I looked and blood was everywhere," Douthett told 24 Hour News 8. "I ran to the bathroom and screamed for her (Rosie) to come in. I went to the bathroom, rinsed it off and it was gone."

As for the dog, Kiko, Douthett called him a hero.

"It wasn't an aggressive attack. He pretty much just ate the infection, so he saved my life," Douthett said. "I probably never would have gone in."

"Maybe he thought it was not part of Jerry's body," Rosie said, "that it was a dead animal laying on the bed. But he chewed off the infected part so he knew when to stop, which was great."

Kiko is still with the family but under observation by authorities to make sure the dog is not a menace.

Douthett found out he is diabetic and said he has given up drinking. At least for now.