‘I felt every bite’: Singer, 23, ‘lucky to be alive’ after his friend’s five Bullmastiffs ‘started eating him’ and tore off both his ears in gruesome 45 second dog attack which left him with 50 wounds – but says he only has himself to blame
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Henry Sherridan, 23, was bitten 50 times in the frenzied dog attack and lost ears
- Read more: Father faces jail for owning out-of-control racing husky
A singer who had his ears ripped off when he was bitten more than 50 times in a terrifying dog attack said he was saved from being killed by his fearless friend.
Henry Sherridan, 23, was having a cigarette on his friend’s patio in Preston, Lancashire, on April 26 surrounded by his large Bullmastiffs when they became aggressive.
The canines sunk their teeth into him 50 times in a frenzied 45-second attack, ripping off both of his ears and tearing his hand open before their owner climbed on top of Mr Sherridan to protect him.
Mr Sherridan need two skin grafts on his leg and spent two weeks in hospital but believes that he is lucky to be alive and doesn’t want to see his friend’s dogs put down.
Lancashire Police said the vicious attack was ‘thoroughly investigated’ and was being treated as a civil matter and the dogs will not be destroyed, although the dogs do have to wear muzzles if they are outside.
Henry Sherridan, 23, spent two weeks in hospital after being attacked by the enormous dogs and needed two kin grafts
Henry, 23, pictured before the vicious dog attack that left him with more than 50 bites and no ears
The singer believes he’s lucky to be alive and says the dogs would have ‘ripped his throat out and severed his head’ if his friend hadn’t intervened – but not before they ‘took his ears’.
His life was saved when his friend threw himself between him and the dogs, causing them to flee inside before armed police arrived.
Mr Sherridan required two skin grafts on his leg due to the severity of the injuries and the mutts ‘ripping out his Achilles’ heel’, while he faces an 18-month wait for prosthetic ears.
Lancashire Police confirmed that they had concluded the incident was a ‘civil matter’ and that a Community Protection Notice had been put in place.
The instructions include the dogs being required to wear muzzles when they leave the house and for them not be around children.
Henry, from Preston, Lancs, said: ‘I went through the gate to the patio, I normally let them out and stroke them but I sat down smoking a fag.
The dogs ripped off Mr Sherridan’s ears. He faces a wait of more than a year to get prosthetics
Henry was taken to hospital in an ambulance where he stayed for two weeks and had two skin grafts on his left leg
The dogs bit Mr Sherridan 50 times, leaving 18 bites on his thigh and five lacerations on his head
‘They’re big dogs, they jump up and want attention. They knocked the fag out of my hand so I stood up and shouted.
‘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.
‘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 took a couple of bites. 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’.
He said he’s on a 12 to 18-month waiting list for prosthetic ears and will have to wear a hat until then.
Mr Sherridan 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.
Mr Sherridan’s friend saved his life by intervening and suffered two bites himself before armed police arrived
The singer was left with gaping wounds on his legs and head after the dogs mauled him when they became riled up because of an argument
Mr Sherridan required two skin grafts on his leg due to the severity of the injuries and the mutts ‘ripping out his Achilles’ heel’
‘They would have ripped my throat out and severed my head. One of them could have done the job.’
Mr Sherridan claimed that the dogs, who he’d known since they were pups, were taken away by police but released back to his friend on the same day.
The dogs are allowed to remain with his friend but are required to wear muzzles if they are outside and are not allowed to be near children.
Mr Sherridan blamed 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.
‘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**k-up.
Mr Sherridan claims that the dogs, who he’d known since they were pups, were taken away by police but released back to his friend on the same day
The 23-year-old said his friend was ‘fearless’ and that he didn’t want to watch him have his dogs put down
Mr Sherridan’s friends have started a fundraiser so that he can set up a recording studio in his home while he recovers
‘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 mother and father and children so they’re a pack.
‘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.’
Mr Sherridan’s friends have started a fundraiser 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.
‘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.’
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