My throat was ripped open in a dog attack…my life fell apart & I tried to kill myself twice – I have terrible flashbacks
A MAN whose throat was ripped open in a dog attack has said his life fell apart and he has tried to kill himself twice.
Mark Cole, from Pontardawe in Wales, was attacked in January 2020 by a Belgian Malamute leaving him physically scarred and tormented by PTSD.
He says the incident happened when he knocked on the door of someone he knew because he needed to pick up some keys.
Mark said he remembers the dog “launching” at him and sinking its teeth into his arm.
“The dog launched itself out of the front door,” he recalled. “It latched on to my hand and forehand.
“I was trying to punch it to get it off me, but it didn’t work. It was like I was hitting a coconut, it didn’t feel anything.
“I was getting absolutely nowhere. It was on its hind legs and nearly as tall as me.
“It was ripping and tearing at me, I could feel the depths of the bite right inside me.
“I was screaming get it off me to the owner and they couldn’t control it.”
For a moment, Mark said the dog let go and he bent over in agony clutching his arm. “Then the dog went for my throat,” he said.
Dripping with blood, Mark said he was taken to Neath Port Talbot Hospital, before he was transferred to the plastic surgery unit at Morriston Hospital.
Although Mark’s physical symptoms will last, he said it’s the mental impact that affects him more than anything else.
He said: “When I look back on the Mark I was, I would never have expected this to affect him this much.
“I’ve lost two relationships and I’ve moved house three times. I didn’t have these problems before this happened to me.”
Mark said he has been diagnosed with PTSD and has made two suicide attempts in the last three years.
Although he hasn’t felt suicidal in several months, he said he regularly thinks about death – something he said he didn’t previously struggle with.
Mark said that as a result of his PTSD – and stress due to an “increased workload” during the pandemic – parts of his personality changed.
He claimed it led to him being suspended from his work as a maintenance manager at Swansea Council.
Mark, who owns a small dog, said not everyone understands how great a responsibility it is to own a dog – particularly larger breeds.
He said: “I was lucky enough to get away – and I only just did get away. I’m around five foot nine and 14 stone.
“I’ve played rugby and I was struggling to stop myself going down. What chance would a child have?”
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
- Movember, www.uk.movember.com
- Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm