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Lakewood Police Investigating Online Threat After Attack On Dog

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A dog owner whose 3-year-old boxer was stabbed and severely wounded during an attack in a Lakewood park on Friday says a chilling online comment has caught the attention of police.

"I had to whack a little dog that decided he wanted to attack my rottie," the comment began. The post's author then wrote that disobedient dogs should be killed, calling them a "waste of fur."

The dog, named Tyni, was stabbed by a man who fled the scene. Tyni's owner, Gary Hirsch, said dozens of people were at Forsberg/Iron Spring Park on Friday, but no one got a good look at the suspect.

Lakewood police said they're aware of that online comment, which was posted to a site that reviewed the park where the dog was hurt. They said they're investigating all leads and tips to find the man who attacked Tyni.

"A dog was severely injured, and that's someones companion and pet. We won't allow that to happen, and we'll do our best to bring the perpetrator to justice," Ryan McKone, a police spokesman, said.

Police also said they're specifically investigating whether the attack is connected to several cases of rat poison-laced meatballs that were left in a Boulder park last April. At least three dogs fell ill in those incidents, but no suspect was identified.

Friday's attack happened at Forsberg/Iron Spring Park, located on the 15900 block of West Alameda Parkway, just south of Green Mountain.

Hirsch said he's offering a reward that leads to an arrest.

The boxer is recovering at home, thanks to the quick action by a veterinarian.

Tyni Tyni with the vet who helped him (credit: Fox Hollow Animal Clinic) henderson
Tyni with the vet who helped him (credit: Fox Hollow Animal Clinic)

Both Tyni's owner and the vet who ended up saving his life say they don't know the woman who made the frantic call for help. The call convinced Dr. Tony Henderson he needed to drop everything and go help as quickly as he could.

"My instincts said, 'I just need to go and see what's going on,' " said Henderson, who practices at Fox Hollow Animal Clinic.

RELATED: Dog Recovering After Getting Stabbed By Man At Dog Park

LINK: Medical Treatments For Tyni

Instead of waiting for Tyni and his owner Gary Hirsch to drive to his animal hospital, Henderson and his nurses made the split-second decision to do the very unusual -- rush over to the Lakewood dog park where Tyni was fighting for survival.

"The dog was in shock, he was bleeding profusely from his wound," Henderson said.

Hirsch says someone stabbed Tyni when he got tangled up in another dog's collar. The wound cut 6 inches into Tyni's muscle and he lost nearly a third of his blood.

Dog Stabbed
The dog park where the crime happened. (credit: CBS)

"They saved his life," Hirsch said. "I know within a matter of minutes, as bad as he was bleeding, he would not have made it."

Because Henderson and his staff got to Tyni so quickly, they were able to stabilize him and get him right back to the hospital for surgery.

At a checkup Monday morning, Henderson says Tyni shows progress -- and a lot of heart -- given the brutal attack he survived.

"Unbelievable. I can't believe people would do that, the individual is scary because if you're going to do that to a dog, you're probably not going to think twice about hurting somebody," Henderson said.

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