Election candidate’s fingertip bitten off by dog

A local election Green Party candidate has said she is recovering well after having part of her finger bitten off by a dog while leafleting.

Danica Priest was delivering campaign material through a letterbox in the Filwood ward in Bristol on Friday when the animal bit off her fingertip.

The dog's owner drove to the hospital with the finger on ice but surgeons were not able to reattach it.

Ms Priest said the pain was "manageable".

The candidate for Filwood in the upcoming Bristol City Council election in May, said the owner "did everything they could to help" and they were "incredibly apologetic".

The dog had "no history of aggression", she said, adding that the owner, who had not been in when it happened, had returned home to a leaflet covered in blood and part of her finger and immediately set off for the hospital.

Ms Priest told the BBC: "When I pulled my finger out my fingertip was completely gone. There was blood everywhere, I used my leaflets to stop the blood,"

"I actually felt nothing, and that was kind of scary I did not feel anything.

"I just completely went into shock. I just saw that my fingertip had gone and completely panicked."

Surgeons performed reconstructive surgery on Saturday and "everything from the first joint up is gone now", she said.

Ms Priest, who is now on pain medication, said she felt okay and there was a "little bit of a dull pain but it is manageable."

Ms Priest said police would have to investigate if the dog were a dangerous breed but she would not be seeking prosecution.

The BBC has contacted Avon and Somerset Police for a response.

Ms Priest said: "There was no sign of a dog, no barking. In a way it was kind of a freak accident.

"But I think this is a lesson learned to never put your fingers at all through letterboxes for people leafleting and dog owners to take a bit more precaution with these things."

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