An elderly man whose arm was amputated after he was mauled two weeks ago by a retired Pima County sheriff's patrol dog is recovering at a physical rehabilitation facility, his daughter-in-law said. Alexander L. Dufour, 83, was released Friday from University Medical Center, where he had been since the April 19 attack by Bronco, a male Belgian Malinois.
Bronco, who was 10- to 11-years old, was euthanized after the attack.
"This is going to change our life completely and his life, too," daughter-in-law Janet Dufour said yesterday. "He's right-handed and he lost his right arm at the elbow."
Her father-in-law was attacked outside his home after the dog got out of Deputy John Summey's enclosed yard, the Tucson Citizen reported earlier.
"I think he's doing OK," Janet Dufour, 35, said of her father-in-law. "He's happy that his family supports him. We visit him every day."
She said he sometimes gets depressed about the situation. Dufour lived with his son John Dufour, 49, and Janet Dufour on West San Lucas Drive on the Northwest Side at the time of the attack.
Janet Dufour did not know when her father-in-law would be released to come home. She would not identify the rehabilitation facility.
Alexander Dufour has his own small kitchen in their home and still drove himself around in his car, Janet Dufour said.
"He's pretty independent," she said.
Summey, who was Bronco's handler when the dog worked for the department, adopted the dog and signed a liability waiver when the dog was retired.
On orders from Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik, Lt. Sanford Rosenthal, head of the special operations section, is reviewing the department's policy allowing handlers to keep their dogs after they are retired.
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