The 68-year-old Palmerston man was recovering at his Tiverton St home yesterday from the attack that happened about 1pm on Tuesday as he walked on the footpath less than 200m from home.
The pitbull and Staffordshire-cross dogs that bit him were euthanised by the Waitaki District Council on Tuesday.
Mr Watson said his memory of the incident was a bit ''blurry''.
One of the dogs ''just appeared'' on the footpath in front of him, growling, after he crossed Thomas St.
He shouted at it and it backed off. But a second dog appeared about 10m to 15m away and ran towards him.
''It all happened so quickly, I suppose,'' he said.
''After that, it was just a blur of ... dogs barking and growling and all that stuff.
''And me yelling at them to get them to go away. But the thing I remember mainly was that second dog appearing. I guess that's when I realised it was going to get serious.''
The dog attack ended as suddenly as it started, he said.
The first bite on his leg dropped him to one knee and he was then bitten on the arm, but he was able to stand up.
''I was trying to figure out what the hell to do,'' he said.
''Two dogs going for me; I can't do a hell of a lot. I had nothing to fend off anything. I was just yelling. I thought it was the only defence I had, really.
''I got back up and they just went away,'' he said.
''I don't know why that happened.
''I'm standing there bleeding, with a great gash on my shin, thinking this is bad.''
He said he was in shock as he staggered towards home.
Mr Watson's next-door neighbour, Shoshone Bennett (19), watched the attack from inside his mother's house.
He ran out to Mr Watson and his mother called for an ambulance.
''I knew he wasn't all right, because of what just happened,'' he said.
''I brought him in the gate and we helped.
''You don't just sit there. You don't just sit there and watch.''
Mr Bennett's mother, who asked not to be named, tried to wrap the wound as they waited for emergency services.
''He lost so much blood,'' Mr Bennett said.
''You could see it running down and almost filling his shoe - it was pretty horrific, actually.''
The St John crew took Mr Watson to the domain where he was transferred to a helicopter and airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.
His brother picked him up later that afternoon and took him home.
Mr Bennett, who only recently returned to Palmerston to live with his mother, said he had been wary of the two dogs and not keen to leave the property when they were out. On Tuesday afternoon, they had been ''roaming around'', he said.
The incident had rattled him.
''I was pretty shocked ... and pretty angry that there were dogs in the neighbourhood that could do that.
''It was a shame that it happened. It shouldn't happen to anyone.''
Mr Watson said he was ''just so grateful'' for the help from his neighbours.
''I would have been in real [trouble]. I don't know what I would [have done].''
''It was pretty scary - I was wondering where it was going and what was happening to me.''
The dogs' owner had approached him yesterday morning to apologise for the incident, Mr Watson said.
He was now focused on his own recovery.
''They were family pets, so there will be a sense of loss for them, but I'm looking after myself. This is going to take a few weeks to come right.''
He was taking painkillers and ''big doses'' of antibiotics.
''I'll be more wary of dogs that look threatening, that's for sure,'' he said.
''But I do like dogs.
''Dogs just need to be under control; people need to realise that.''
