Retired police officer gravely injured by bulldog he had rescued

The bulldog that Jim Stewart had adopted from a foster home had shown no signs of aggression, a roommate said.

By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune

Last update: October 31, 2009 - 6:12 PM

Amy Klinefelter was sitting down to a night on the computer and some TV in her Woodbury home last Sunday evening when thumps emanating from her basement caught her off guard. Her roommate, Jim Stewart, was downstairs with his American bulldog, watching TV as usual.

When Klinefelter went to investigate, she found the 120-pound dog, Igor, standing over a bloodied, barely conscious Stewart, 53. The retired police officer was lying on his side, the skin of his face torn off and one eyelid ripped apart. An ear had been severed.

"His face was just, I just, I mean, just gone," Klinefelter said Friday. "Just blood everywhere."

Igor stood there looking back at Klinefelter, seemingly in shock himself, she said. He didn't react aggressively when she grabbed his harness and dragged him down the hall and into the garage, where she locked him up. In fact, Klinefelter said, the dog hadn't shown any aggression or warning signs in the five months it had lived with them and Klinefelter's cat and yellow lab, Ali.

Klinefelter called 911 and Stewart was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he is listed in good condition.

Stewart adopted 2-year-old Igor this June after his 8-year-old American bulldog, Reggie, died of cancer in May. Igor came via an American bulldog rescue group that picked him up in Texas and placed him in a foster home in the Twin Cities. Klinefelter said she doesn't remember the group's name, although she remembers it being legitimate and thorough, running a background check on Stewart and visiting Klinefelter's townhouse to ensure that Igor was going to a good home.

"[Stewart] was so happy," she said. "He loves Igor. He was always with him, always talking to him, walking him."

Igor wrestled and slept with Klinefelter's dog, Ali. He didn't come with any special warnings or behavioral issues, Klinefelter said, adding that she is not familiar with his history.

The night of the attack, she said she didn't hear any yelling, barking or growling, just loud thumps like a heavy object hitting the wall. She's still puzzled about why it happened.

"It's just so ... out of character for the dog," she said.

Stewart, who retired from the Hudson, Wis., Police Department after 24 years and who now works as a security guard at the St. Paul Hotel, underwent hours of surgery and was sedated for a few days. He has regained consciousness off and on, Klinefelter said, and was able to walk a little on Friday. He's been informed about the attack, but doesn't remember it.

He granted permission for Igor to be euthanized Thursday.

It's unclear when he'll be discharged from the hospital, or how many more reconstructive surgeries he will require.

"It sounds like it will be a long road," Klinefelter said.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391

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