My friend’s FIVE bullmastiffs tore off both my EARS and started to eat me… but I blame myself – here is why
A MAN whose friend's five bullmastiffs tore off both both his ears in a terrifying attack has claimed he only has himself to blame.
Henry Sherridan, 23, from Preston in Lancashire, said the eight-stone dogs became aggressive when he yelled at them for knocking his cigarette out of his hand.
The hounds forced Henry to the floor of his friend's patio, sunk their teeth into him 50 times, ripped off both of his ears and tore his hand open - before their owner climbed on top of Henry to protect him.
After what he believes was a 45-second attack, the dogs ran inside the house before armed police arrived.
Henry said: "I went through the gate to the patio, I normally let them out and stroke them but I sat down smoking a fag.
"They're big dogs, they jump up and want attention. They knocked the fag out of my hand so I stood up and shouted.
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"They pushed me to the floor and started eating me. It was pretty horrific. It was like people throwing knives at me.
"I was screaming in pain. It didn't knock me out and I felt every bite."
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He added: "They ripped my hand open and I realised if they could do that off one bite then I needed to cover my face but I left my ears open and they took my ears.
"My friend jumped on top of me.
"He screamed at the dogs and they realised what they were doing. They were acting out of panic and they ran inside.
"I was bleeding out of 50 wounds, I had no ears on my head, a near enough fatal bite in my neck, 18 bites in my thigh, five lacerations to my head, my arms were open at the top and my Achillies' heel was ripped out."
Henry was taken to hospital in an ambulance where he stayed for two weeks and had two skin grafts on his left leg.
He lost 95 per cent of his left ear and 85 per cent of his right and says that when he first saw the damage it 'took his breath away'.
Henry says he's on a 12 to 18-month waiting list for prosthetic ears and will have to wear a hat until then.
He said: "As soon as they changed my bandage, I got my mate to take a photo and show me, it took my breath away for ten minutes.
"I've got to walk around with a beanie in sweltering heat if I don't want to make kids cry.
"My friend saved my life 110 per cent. He's the only reason I'm here. If there was no intervention, they would have savaged me in less than a minute.
"They would have ripped my throat out and severed my head. One of them could have done the job."
DOG HORROR
Lancashire Police confirmed that they had concluded the dog attack was a civil matter and that a Community Protection Notice had been put in place.
Henry claimed that the dogs, whom he'd known since they were pups, were taken away by police but released back to his pal on the same day.
Henry blames himself for the attack as he suspects the dogs had become 'riled up' after hearing him having an argument with someone he'd bumped into up the road.
He said: "I bumped into someone I knew on the way to my friend's and we had a bit of an argument.
"The dogs could hear us arguing, they were riled up. It was a circumstantial f*ck up.
"I've known them since they were 13 weeks old. They love me.
"It's my fault, I shouted at them. I could have been a robber. It's mum and dad and children so they're a pack.
They would have ripped my throat out and severed my head
Henry Sherridan
Henry added: "My friend was fearless and had so much courage. I didn't want to watch him have his dogs put down.
"The dogs are back with my friend under certain restrictions. The restrictions being that they have to wear muzzles if they leave the house and all that sort of thing. They can't be around children or anything like that."
Henry's friends have started a page so that he can set up a recording studio in his home while he recovers.
A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: "We were called at 6.47pm on April 26, to an address in Preston, to a report of dogs biting a man.
"The man, aged in his 20s, suffered serious injuries and was treated in hospital.
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"The incident was thoroughly investigated, and we are satisfied that this is civil matter and no criminal offence has taken place.
"A Community Protection Notice has been put in place with regards the dogs."
