Man savagely attacked by own dogs

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog owner was left fighting for his life after being savagely attacked - by his own pets.

Autistic Andrew Clark was hospitalised with serious injuries. Two of his own dogs - both bull mastiff cross Staffordshire bull terriers - left him lying in a pool of blood and then viciously attacked his other dog.

One animal was later shot dead by police on his request while another was put down.

“It was like something from a horror film,” said Andrew, 28, from Redcar.

“We were all covered in blood. I lost two or three pints. The doctors said that I could have died.”

Andrew underwent surgery on his arm and was in hospital for six days.

As he recovered at home, he told how a normal day turned to a nightmare. Andrew had been at home with his three dogs and wife Sarah when two of them - Max and Misty - suddenly became aggressive.

Andrew’s other dog, a border collie named Bonnie, an assistance dog for his autism, was initially attacked.

“As I stopped them from attacking her, they dragged me by my trousers down to the floor,” he said.

“They went for my chest and bit it. They then went for my neck but I put my arm out and they went straight for that. You could actually see the muscle coming through.”

Andrew’s wife Sarah managed to get the dogs away from him but, as she dialled 999, the pair then attacked Bonnie.

“I was still conscious but only just,” said Andrew, who campaigns for equal rights for disabled people.

“I couldn’t breathe and there was blood everywhere.”

Police and paramedics found Andrew and Bonnie covered in blood.

The dogs continued to run riot on June 8, attempting to attack the police officers - many of whom were carrying riot shields.

“The police were there for hours trying to get the male dog to calm down,” said Andrew.

“They tried everything they could so then they had to call the armed response team and it was shot dead.

“Both the police and paramedics were brilliant.”

Andrew bought the two dogs about a year ago as puppies - and says there was no indication they would be dangerous.

“They were fine,” he said. “We trained them and took them to obedience classes.”

Now he is warning other dog owners to be cautious with their pets.

“There is the potential that they could do something like this. There was no warning,” he said.

Chief Inspector Gary Stephenson, of Cleveland Police Specialist Operations, said: “The owner and other dogs in the address suffered significant injuries in the attack.

“At the owner’s request the offending dog was humanely destroyed in the only way that was safe and possible at the time.”