Music composer being sued by dog sitter

Los Angeles, March 29 (IANS) Composer and record producer Burt Bacharach is being sued by his dog's sitter, who claims the singer's dog Alfie injured two fingers on his left hand by biting him.

Dog sitter Joel Gayner has claimed he volunteered to take care of the Portuguese Water Dog, but he was left badly hurt after he saved the dog from choking on a plastic bone, reports tmz.com.

Gayner woke up early one morning to discover the canine was gasping for air and urinating everywhere due to a chew toy getting stuck in his throat. But he was able to dislodge the bone by pressing on the animal's chest and massaging Alfie's esophagus and up the windpipe, before the broken pieces of plastic bone came out of Alfie's mouth within a pool of thick mucus and saliva.

According to tmz.com, minutes later when Gayner went to stroke the recovering dog, he snapped and bit down on his left hand inflicting serious injuries. He needed his middle finger reattached with surgery, while his index digit was badly mauled. He had to have skin grafted from his groin and placed on his finger to heal the wounds.

Gayner, 73, says he has no feeling in some parts of his fingers and he is now suing Bacharach for his medical expenses and unspecified damages.