ANTHEM, Ariz. - Steve Verschoor doesn't regret anything about fighting a bobcat, even though his hand is heavily bandaged.
"I can't go golfing or bowling for a while," Verschoor said.
To be fair though, this bobcat started the fight by attacking a leashed dog outside the entrance to Anthem County Club.
"Being an animal lover, I just went into attack mode with the bobcat to try and get him off the dog," he says.
Verschoor was on his way to pick up the paper Sunday morning when he noticed the bobcat attacking a large dog. The dog's owner was having trouble breaking the two up, and that's where Verschoor stepped in.
"Somehow in that 'fruckus' there he clenched onto my hand. Chomped me pretty good enough to break the thumb," Verschoor said.
Lab testing Monday showed the bobcat was rabid. It's not clear if Verschoor has been treated for rabies.
Jason Garrido started shooting video with his iPhone when he saw the man vs. cat altercation. Garrido even jumped into Verschoor's car to keep it from driving down the street in gear. The cellphone video he shot shows Verschoor attempting to toss the bobcat off of his hand, to no avail. The attempted toss ended up fracturing his thumb and causing laceration down most of his hand.
"Attacking a wild animal with your bare hands probably isn't a good idea," Verschoor says followed by a good laugh.
Eventually the bobcat trotted away, met soon thereafter by a Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy who ended the threat of further violence.
"I'm sorry he got put down," Verschoor said. "with wild animals, especially once they get human blood, you got to take action. Especially if there are little kids around."