Family member takes dog that ate man's face

We now know the name of the man who police say was eaten by his dog.  A family member called Eyewitness News to talk about 46-year-old Kenneth Legge.

They say he liked to keep to himself and didn't often talk with family.  They just learned about  Legge's death and that his pug mix fed on his face and body.  Police found Legge at RiverPark Plaza Apartments January 12th.

The family member says the dog is now with another member of the family.

The police department says residents were occasionally feeding the dog through a window, because they hadn't seen Legge for some time.  When a maintenance worker checked-on the man, he found a decomposing body and the dog inside the apartment.

Veterinarian Dr. Dan Thompson says he has seen this before.

"You can have a perfectly normal dog that will do this.  As sad and disturbing as it is, it's not unusual,” Dr. Dan said.

In December 2009, two small dogs in Nebraska fed on their owner for weeks.  Reports say the owner had killed himself.  Dr. Dan says survival instincts kick-in for pets when they're left with nothing to eat for days.

"It has nothing to do with viciousness, bad temperament, or anything like that.  I don't think it will impact his adoptability,” Dr. Dan said.

Dr. Dan says pets--like this pug mix--don't get a "taste for human blood."

"It's just circumstantial.  The little guy had to survive.  That's what happened," Dr. Dan said.

A situation that Dr. Dan believes could have been avoided.  Dr. Dan says it's important for people who live alone, to have people check-in on them often.