Staffy owner is forced to choke his dog to death after it attacked him

A heartbroken man was left with no choice but to choke his Staffy to death after it mauled him for 45 minutes.

Matt Porter, 34, had been shaving at his home in Illinois, United States, when his ‘sweet and caring’ adopted dog, Karma, pounced on him out of the blue. 

During a 45-minute mauling last month, Matt was bitten more than 70 times and left hospitalised and fearing for his life. 

‘Karma jumped on me, I pushed her off, she came back and bit right into my arm,’ he said. 

‘There was blood spraying everywhere. It was terrifying. I don’t know what was wrong with her. She didn’t stop and she was chewing on my arm for 45 minutes. I was in agonising pain.’

After losing the ability to use his hands, Matt was eventually able to wriggle free of the Staffy’s grip before making the heartbreaking decision to choke the out-of-control mutt to death. 

‘I grabbed her by the neck and tried to talk to her and calm her. I told her she was hurting me and to stop but she wouldn’t,’ he added.

‘She was trying to go for my neck and I couldn’t get a grip on my feet because of all the blood. 

‘I was bleeding to death and I didn’t want to die so even though I’d lost the use of my hands, I used sheer willpower and choked her to death with my forearms – there was no other option.

‘I passed out in a puddle of blood that was around seven foot wide and woke up in hospital.’

Graphic images show the extent of the injuries Matt suffered during a mauling in which the ‘dog ate so much muscle that could see the bone and tendons.’

The dog owner spent a week in an Illinois hospital where he underwent three reconstructive surgeries on both of his arms. 

Unfortunately, Matt has now lost the use of his right hand and was left with no choice but to quit his job as a tree surgeon. 

‘Surgeons had to put my muscle back in,’ he added.

‘I won’t be able to go back to work, I’m still in pain and my arms look disgusting.

‘Everything is a struggle. My fingers don’t work so I can’t do my shoes up, I can’t write or make food and it’s very frustrating.

‘I sleep one hour a night and I have vivid nightmares.’

The 34-year-old had only adopted Karma four months ago after she was found malnourished behind a shop. 

Matt had been encouraged to take the dog in by his family to help him recover from a break up. 

He said: ‘My fiancé left me a few months earlier so my mum thought it would be a good idea for me to get an animal to help me get through things.

‘Karma was so thin that you could see her ribs so I fed her up until she was four stone.

‘She was so sweet and caring. She was there for me and never left my side but there were signs of aggression.

‘I noticed a few times that if I tried to grab her by the collar to take her outside, she would try and bite me.

‘I just thought she didn’t like it and I didn’t think that much of it.

‘She would jump on my body and leave scars but it didn’t bother me.’

Karma has since been cremated, with her ashes kept at Matt’s home. 

Despite the attack, however, the former tree surgeon ‘doesn’t blame’ his beloved former companion. 

‘I love her and I just feel like she had a bad day.

‘I don’t hold it against her.’