Sometimes a good deed just won't go unpunished.

A man went to check on an alarm he heard two doors down from his home, and was attacked by a police dog which bit through his little finger. A nerve was injured in the bite.

Kevin Oglesby says he heard an alarm go off and went to check on his neighbor's property before going back to check out his own, as well.

Once in his own backyard, he says he was alerted to what he called a "presence," and turned around. He was rushed by a german shepherd, and held still in the hope this would prevent the situation from getting worse. He said from seeing television, he knew not to try to run or resist.

Oglesby said that the dog jumped over the fence with its handler trying to catch up. The dog's leash was not in the handler's hand. Oglesby further said the handler was telling the dog to release, over and over, and did physically pull the dog off Oglesby.

"I just stood there watching and watched it sinking its teeth in and out," Oglesby said. "I may be only a little fella but I've got quite a high threshold of pain."

Surgeons at a nearby hospital were able to fix the injured man's severed nerve.

Oglesby contacted the Weekend Herald after reading about a police dog attacking a lawnmowing contractor who was trying to help officers track the 14-year-old driver of a stolen car in Avondale on Thursday.

According to the dog's handler, the shepherd was following its training. It had noticed Oglesby's scent at the crime scene and followed like it had been trained to do. The dog has been stood down until it can be evaluated as to whether it is fit for duty.

Oglesby said he felt no ill will and accepted the handler's apology.