A dog in Germany could face being put down after biting off the toe of a man who tried to kick him.
Steve S - whose full surname has not been disclosed - was staying with his friend Daniela and her boyfriend Mike in Berlin over the festive period, as was Staffordshire Bull Terrier Buma, who belonged to another of Daniela's mates.
But things turned nasty between the two guests last Monday (27 December) during dinnertime when Buma started begging for some of Steve's mushroom pizza.
Keen to enjoy his meal in peace, 28-year-old waiter Steve grabbed Buma and tried to pull him away, but the dog turned and bit him in the face.
Steve went to the bathroom to assess the damage and found that Buma had drawn blood on his cheek.
According to German newspaper Bild, Steve then tried to kick Buma, but the Staffy bit off his big toe and swallowed it whole.
Steve was rushed to A&E, with a hospital spokesperson telling Bild: "The toe could not be found. The bone was amputated and sewn shut."
He subsequently underwent a further operation on Thursday (30 December).
There seemingly wasn't a great deal of sympathy for Steve, though - even from his mate Daniela.
She said: "It took me a day to clean the blood from the apartment.
"I think it's Steve's own fault. Buma is an animal that needs to be cuddled.
"The policemen who came then played with him. He's not aggressive."
An anonymous neighbour agreed, saying: "It's your own fault, you don't kick a dog."
And while Steve may have lost a toe, Buma could end up losing his life.
He was taken to an animal centre by police and a vet is due to make a judgement on his fate tomorrow.
It is possible he could be assigned a new, qualified owner, or he may be put down.
Furthermore, Buma's owner could find themselves in trouble, as local laws state that listed dangerous breeds of dog must be cared for by their licensed owner, and as such, Buma shouldn't have been staying at Daniela's house in the first place.
Jake Massey