A 54-year-old man remains in hospital the day after a bull mastiff attacked him and ripped up his arm, before the dog was eventually shot by police.

In an exclusive interview with CTV Toronto Wednesday, Wilbur Grueneklee recalled the terrifying ordeal.

Grueneklee said he was taking the dog back up to his apartment above The Duke pub, on Queen Street East near Leslie Street, when things went wrong.

“I had him out for his walk, like I usually do, then came back and he had his front paws on the bed and for some reason he just started attacking,” Grueneklee said from his hospital bed, where a large white bandage encircled his right arm, from the elbow to the hand.

Grueneklee said he couldn’t do anything to stop the dog, which weighed as much as 80 kg.

“I just tried to pull away but he had a grip on me,” Grueneklee said.

There was no warning, not even a snarl before the dog attacked, he said.

Grueneklee isn’t the owner of the dog, but had agreed to keep it for a friend who was serving time in jail.

When police, paramedics and animal services arrived at The Duke, the dog attacked the emergency responders.

The police officer tried to use a Taser to subdue the dog, but that didn’t work. He was forced to shoot and kill the dog.

Neighbours said it wasn’t the first time the dog had attacked.

Mike Wood told CP24 that he was bitten by the dog three weeks ago when he stopped to talk to the man who was handling the dog.

“He got me by the arm,” Wood said. “He got his whole mouth around my arm. I had two stitches on the top and puncture holes on the bottom of my arm.”

Wood said he reported the attack to animal services, but the agency investigated and said the dog appeared to be friendly.

Other neighbours expressed relief that the dog was no longer around.

“That could have been my grandchildren walking by here with this beast going ahead,” said Jim Kilbreath. “I'm glad the damn thing is shot and down and I'm an animal lover, believe me.”

Grueneklee is scheduled to have plastic surgery on his arm Thursday.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Austin Delaney