Veteran's support dog mauls passenger's face on Delta Airlines flight

ATLANTA, Georga -- A passenger on board a Delta Airlines flight was mauled by a veteran's emotional support dog Sunday.

Witnesses described the victim, Marlin Jackson, of Daphne, Alabama, as "very bloody" after the incident.

Authorities say the owner of the dog, Marine Corps member Ronald Mundy, Jr., from Mills River, North Carolina, and his dog were involved in the frightening episode moments before the Atlanta-to-San Diego flight took off.

Other passengers on board the plane say the dog was a mixed Lab that was in the middle seat, with Jackson by the window and Mundy along the aisle.

"His face was covered in blood, around his eyes, nose cheeks, shirt," passenger Bridget Maddox Peoples said. "When he walked out, he had a cloth over his face and was completely bloody."

Airline officials said police were called to the scene and that Mundy and his dog were booked on a later flight. No charges were filed, and the dog flew in a kennel on the rescheduled flight, but Mundy said he was worried the dog would be put down following the incident.

Jackson was taken to a hospital in stable condition with "severe injury to the face due to several dog bites."