Man attacked by friend's five dogs who began to 'eat' him and 'tore his ears off'

A singer who was mauled by dogs in an attack which saw his ears torn off has blamed himself for what happened.

Henry Sherridan claims he only has "himself to blame" after five bullmastiffs belonging to a friend pounced on and started "eating" him in an attack in April.

The 23-year-old claims the

eight-stone beasts were angered and became aggressive when he yelled at them for knocking a cigarette from his hand, pushing him to the floor.

He says they were already on edge after hearing shouting at a neighbour.

Mr Sherridan was rushed to hospital and treated for serious injuries sustained in the attack - including deep lacerations to his hand - but now, looking back, he believes his shouting was the only prompt for the 45-second attack.

"They were riled up," Mr Sherridan said. "It was a circumstantial f**k 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."

The animals sunk their teeth into Henry 50 times, ripped off both of his ears and tore his hand open before their owner climbed on top of Henry to protect him.

Henry, from Preston, Lancashire, believes he's lucky to be alive and says the dogs would have 'ripped his throat out and severed his head' if his pal hadn't intervened - but not before they 'took his ears'.

He required two skin grafts on his leg due to the severity of the injuries, with the mutts also "ripping out his Achilles' heel", while he now 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.

Henry explained that the instructions included the dogs being required to wear muzzles when they leave the house and not be around children.

Henry added: "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.

"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'.

Henry says he's on a 12 to 18-month waiting list for prosthetic ears and will have to wear a hat until then.

Henry 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."

Henry claims that the dogs, who he'd known since they were pups, were taken away by police but released back to his pal on the same day.

He says their owner has been told he's allowed to keep them providing the wear a muzzle outside.

"It's my fault, I shouted at them," he added.

"I could have been a robber. It's mum and dad 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."

Henry'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."

Government guidance says the Community Protection Notice is used for 'low-level incidents involving dogs, eg owner failing to control dog and causing nuisance to others/other animals'.

It can require the owner to control the dog's behaviour through various means, including wearing a muzzle, attending training classes, being kept on a lead and other options.

You can donate to Henry's GoFundMe here.