A senior Chihuahua was found with multiple stab wounds in a Pomona park this week, and officials are searching for the assailant.
A resident discovered the badly injured dog at Philadelphia Park next to an elementary school Wednesday.
The person assumed the dog had died and immediately called the Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA, officials said in a news release Friday.
A responding animal control officer found a small crowd circling the dog and determined he was still alive, but had “many, apparently deliberate, slash wounds throughout its small, weak body,” the news release stated.
The dog was determined to have multiple stab wounds, including four large slashes across his neck and abdomen. Additionally, the dog suffered broken ribs and bruised lungs, and extensive surgery was performed, officials said.
“It was a touch and go situation and staff was concerned he would not make it, but he was a fighter,” the news release stated.
The dog’s owners were eventually located, and after the successful surgery and further treatment, they were able to take Panchito home.
The humane society launched a criminal investigation into the “brutal attack,” and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the organization at 909-623-9777.
Panchito’s owner, Arturo Guerra, said he’s concerned that the perpetrator has not been caught yet, especially with a school nearby.
“What the people do to my dog, there’s a lot of kids, and maybe next time, he finds a kid and he’s going to do the same thing,” Guerra said.