A dog attack victim has been left traumatised and scarred for life after being mauled by a Japanese Akita in Bradford.

Lawrence Shields needed more than five hours of surgery and 60 stitches to wounds on his hands and arms after the ten-minute unprovoked attack.

But despite the serious nature of his injuries, police say the incident is a civil matter as the attack happened on private land and the dog is not an illegal breed.

Thirty-one-year-old Mr Shields, who is recovering at home in Balfour Street, East Bowling, after spending four days in Bradford Royal Infirmary, called the law “ridiculous” and said the dog should be put down before it kills someone.

“I happened within seconds,” he said. “I am a big guy and even I couldn’t wrestle it off me. If it got hold of a child they wouldn’t stand a chance. I simply want people to be aware of this Japanese Akita dog and how quickly it can attack.

“The dog needs to be put down for everybody’s safety.”

The attack happened when Mr Shields was measuring up for a fence in the garden of the dog’s home in Flockton Terrace, East Bowling, by invitation of its owner, Cally Brogden, who Mr Shields said was a friend.

“The owner left the door open and the dog came out and seriously attacked me,” he said. “I put my arms up to protect my face. It lasted for a good ten minutes but it felt like hours.”

Mr Shields said he still is not sure who got the dog off him, but thanked the neighbour who called an ambulance and also thanked staff on ward 19 of Bradford Royal Infirmary, the plastics and maxillofacial ward, who looked after him.

“My friend has apologised but sorry doesn’t really count,” he said. “They don’t know how much this has affected my life. I was supposed to be starting a new business selling cleaning products but now I am too terrified to do that.

“I am too scared to walk my own dog and I have to get help to get dressed and cook. I face further plastic surgery, skin grafts and physiotherapy and I have no feeling in the little finger in my left hand. I don’t know if it will come back or if it is a permanent thing.

“It is a nightmare and it has ruined my life.”

Mr Shields now plans to consult a solicitor to pursue the case as a civil matter.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police confirmed police were called at about 2pm on Friday, February 24, to reports of a dog attack on a 31-year-old man at an address in Flockton Terrace.

Officers attended and investigated the circumstances of the incident. A police spokesman said: “Dog bites are taken extremely seriously by the police, however this particular incident occurred within a private property where the dog was kept.

“Officers who attended also verified that the dog was not listed as an illegal breed and subsequently advised that it was a civil matter.

“Neighbourhood officers have spoken to the owner and have also contacted the victim to offer any further assistance or support.”

The dog was seen barking from behind a fence when the Telegraph & Argus contacted Miss Brogden about the incident. The light-coloured Akita was penned in behind a wooden fence separating the large back yard into two sections.

She and a man at the house refused to comment on the incident.

e-mail: claire.lomax@telegraphandargus.co.uk