Delivery worker has 'finger bitten off' by dog in Welling

Aimee, who does not want to disclose her surname, was dropping a parcel off to an address in Westwood Lane when an out of control dog attacked her.

As the owner was not at home, Aimee went to post a collection card for the parcel through her letterbox. As she put her right hand through the letterbox, the dog tore off the tip of her middle finger.

“I didn’t scream or cry. I just pulled out my hand and stumbled into the road.

“I started shouting: ‘Help me, help me’.

Aimee has still not been able to return to driving

“It was so painful. I have never felt anything that painful in my whole life,” Aimee, who is right handed, told News Shopper.

After calling for help, a woman who was passing found Aimee and called her an ambulance. When it arrived, she was given gas and air as well as morphine to help with the pain.

Aimee continued: “The homeowner came back home when I was in the ambulance. They came home to find my finger on the floor inside the house.

“A paramedic went in and retrieved it.”

The attack happened in Westwood Lane, Welling

Aimee was taken to the trauma centre in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, before being transferred to St Thomas’s in Waterloo.

“They took me to St. Thomas’s in the hope they could reattach my finger but they couldn’t,” Aimee said.

Aimee does not know how long it will take for her to recover and go back to work. Working only part time for the delivery company, she is a qualified, self-employed accountant.

Luckily, her wife has taken a week off work to drive her to hospital appointments and look after her.

“I can’t drive at the moment. My hand is still very bruised and swollen.”

Despite visiting two hospitals, doctors could not save her finger

She praised the delivery company she was working with for its response to the incident, but has said she wants them to put steps in place to protect staff while they are delivering.

She has suggested a post clip, which is used by some delivery companies to make sure a worker’s hands never have to touch a letterbox.

While also praising the dog owner for their cooperation, she wants to send a message to other owners to make sure their dog cannot attack people who come to the door.

“It’s all about protection. A sign that tells workers a dog is in the house would be helpful, or a cage around the letterbox to collect the post,” she said.

Aimee added that the mixed-breed dog that attacked her “did not make a sound” when she approached the door.