A dog is in recovery after being stabbed while protecting its owner
The incident, caught on video, shows a man approaching a group of unhoused people with a knife when the dog attacks him.
A trail of blood lined the sidewalk of Orange Avenue near Fourth Street early Saturday morning after a man stabbed a dog protecting its owner and others.
A man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was awoken by shouting and then recorded the incident. He said a group of unhoused people were standing on the sidewalk near his building at 333 Orange Ave. when they were approached by another man who also lives in the building.
The suspect was angry that the unhoused people were near his building, said the witness, who spoke with the victims after the incident.
“The dog is barking, the suspect is yelling and shouting, the homeless people are trying to get away from him,” the man said. “The suspect is yelling that homeless people should ‘get a job.’”
The witness said the suspect was approaching the group with a large knife when the people lost hold of the dog’s leash. The dog, a pit bull named Mazzlyn, then protected its owner by attacking the man, who swiped at the dog multiple times with the knife, video shows.
The suspect then fled in a car with another driver, the witness said, adding that he took a picture of the license plate, which he provided to police.
The Long Beach Police Department confirmed officers were dispatched to the area just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning after reports of the stabbing. The investigation is ongoing, according to the department.
“We encourage anyone with information regarding this incident to contact non-emergency dispatch at 562-435-6711,” Officer Eric Stachura said in an email Wednesday.
The victims of the attack took the dog to one vet office, which wanted to charge them $4,000 to treat the dog. Unable to afford the costs, the group returned to the area. Meanwhile, several bystanders had alerted Long Beach Animal Care Services about the dog. Animal Control officers and the dog's owner took the dog to another vet, who stitched up the dog's right shoulder and gave it pain medication, according to Melanie Wagner, bureau manager for Long Beach Animal Care Services.
In a statement posted online, Friends of Long Beach Animals President Lauren Campbell said the organization “proudly covered the cost of Mazzlyn’s surgery at Long Beach City Vets.”
Wagner said that both LBACS and Friends of Long Beach Animals were acquainted with Mazzlyn and her owner before the incident.
“I can tell you that she loves her dog very much,” Wagner said.
A neighbor let the dog stay in their apartment, according to Fix Long Beach co-owner Sherri Stankewitz, but after a couple days the landlord said pit bulls were not allowed in the building. With the dog unable to walk, the owner was connected to Stankewitz, who enlisted the help of locals to pick up the dog and bring her to Fix Long Beach for additional treatment.
While understanding the extent of the wound requires additional testing, Stankewitz said it appears the knife could have hit tendons, bone or nerves, resulting in the dog being unable to walk.
“How the hell can someone do this to a living being?” Stankewitz said to the Watchdog Tuesday.
Stankewitz questions why the police department did not contact Long Beach Animal Care Services when officers arrived at the gory scene, which was quickly cleaned up by a hazmat team.
“A dog was stabbed by a human and that would be animal abuse,” Stankewitz said. “I don’t know what their protocols are but I would think [Animal Care] would be called.”
The LBPD did not respond to questions regarding its protocols for contacting Animal Care in such an event.
Stankewitz said that this case and others like it should not be taken any less seriously because the owners are unhoused.
“In the end,” she said, “these animals are getting abused, mistreated, and nothing’s being done.”
Those wanting to assist can donate money to Fix Long Beach here or Friends of Long Beach Animals here.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information.
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