A 6-year-old Florida boy who was partially paralyzed by a hit-and-run driver last year had four of his fingers chewed off by his family's dog because he couldn't feel what the animal was doing.

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Dog Chews Off Fla. Boy's Fingers

Dontavius Bryant, of Tampa, Fla., was hit by a driver last year and left with no feeling on his left side, which is why he didn't feel the dog chewing off his fingers to his second knuckle while he slept.

Dontavius's 10-year-old brother, who shares a bed with him, found blood on the bed when he awoke sometime between 5 and 5:30 a.m. Monday.

"My brother told me to look at my hand," said Dontavius, sitting in a wheelchair Tuesday afternoon at the hospital with his left hand wrapped in white gauze. "I looked at it, and it was bleeding."

Hillsborough County animal control officials destroyed the puppy, a mixed breed of chow and pit bull named Chaka.

The child's fingers were found in the dog's stomach, police said.

Jerrolyn "Shawn" Dewberry, 27, rushed her son to St. Joseph's Hospital. Dontavius was being treated at adjacent Tampa Children's.

"When I woke up, four of his fingers were off. It was a lot of blood," she said. "He went to sleep with 10 fingers, woke up with six." Dontavius, who is right-handed, lost the use of his left hand in October 2002 when the driver of a pickup hit him as he was attempting to cross the street on his way home from playing football. No one has been arrested.

Dontavius and his two older brothers had received the puppy as a gift from their aunt two to three weeks ago, family friend Diona Thomas said.

"I believe the dog didn't know what he was doing," Thomas said. "He was friendly. Everybody loved him."

Chaka will be the last dog Dontavius will have, his mother said. "I don't want more dogs," Dewberry said. "We're going to stick to fish, to birds. No pets like dogs."

Dontavius is taking his latest injury in stride, saying it doesn't interfere with his passion for playing video games.

"I'll be OK. I can still play video games with one hand," he said.

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