I thought I was dying after a Knott End dog attack left me without my arm... but I've chosen to forgive

Mark Daniel, 47, suffered life-changing injuries when he was attacked by a dog he was looking after in early April last year. Despite losing his left arm below the elbow, as well as part of his ear and being left with lasting scars, he says he refuses to live his life with hatred.

“I can forgive him, but I can’t forget. I’ve only got one arm now,” said Mark. “I can’t live my life in hate. I really can’t. I’ve got to learn to live the best way I can.”

The attack happened near Lyme Grove when Mark had been caring for a friend’s dog. He said the animal suddenly turned on him. “Basically, the dog decided I was lunch,” he said. “I went outside screaming for help. I thought I was dying.”

Members of the public tried to intervene as the attack unfolded before emergency services arrived. Mark was taken to hospital, where he spent three months recovering from his injuries. At one stage, doctors feared he could lose both arms.

He said: “I lost my left arm below the elbow. I also lost part of my ear and have scars across my body.”

Despite the severity of his injuries, Mark says the experience has changed his outlook on life. “In a funny way, I’m not sorry it happened, because it’s given me a different outlook on life,” he said. “When I came out of hospital, I remember looking at the sun and thinking, I love that. I’d never appreciated things like that before.”

The attack made national headlines at the time, with police later confirming the dog had been shot dead by armed officers. The dog’s owner, Lee Howard, 41, of Blackpool, was charged with being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog but was later found not guilty at court.

Mark said he began speaking to Howard while recovering in hospital and came to a surprising conclusion. “Any dog could attack any person. It was just unfortunate that it was me,” he said. “I don’t want him to be painted as a bad person.”

Mark even attended court to support Howard, a decision he says has cost him friendships. “I’ve lost friends over it, over supporting him and saying I forgive him,” he said. “But what good would it do? It wouldn’t bring my arm back. We’ve built a friendship. It will never be the same, but again, what good would hate do?”

Since the attack, Mark has had to rebuild his life from scratch. He spent months in hospital and temporary accommodation before moving into his own accommodation in the Poulton-le-Fylde area, adapting to life as an amputee.

“I was born deaf, so I’ve already lived part of my life with challenges,” he said. “This is just something I’ve had to adapt to. This is my normal now.”

He says he now enjoys life more than ever.

“I travel, I go out. I enjoy life more than I ever did before,” he said. “I’m moving on with my life. That’s the message.”

Mark has also been reunited with his dog, which was placed in kennels for 12 months following the attack. He said: “I never thought I’d get my dog back, especially at its age. It’s 13 now, but I have, and that means everything.”

While he admits he still has some fear of dogs, he is determined not to let the attack define him.

“If I see a dog that reminds me of that one, I panic,” he said. “But I still have my own dog.”

Mark also paid tribute to the staff who helped him recover, including Belmar Nursing Home in Lytham and Ward 4 at Royal Preston Hospital. “There was a nurse called Zelda. She was brilliant,” he said. She was tough, but in a good way. She made sure I learned to be independent. They didn’t do things for me. They made me do them.

“That’s helped me massively.”

Now, a year on from the attack, Mark says he wanted to speak out to share his side of the story. “People call me inspiring, but to me, I’m just being me,” he said.