A 2-year-old dog on Long Island, New York, miraculously survived being stabbed 17 times in a heinous animal abuse case.
A woman claimed to have found the young pup, a 75-pound terrier mix that has since been named Cornell, badly injured as he bled on a street in Freeport, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. The woman took the pooch to a dog rescue operation and then to the Hempstead animal shelter, where he received the necessary medical attention to help save his life.
It was not clear what was used to hurt the dog, but Donnelly said a "sharp object" was used in the Nov. 27 incident. The dog was found with no collar and no identification chip. There was no evidence he was part of any dog-fighting ring.
Cornell survived the stabbings and is recovering at the animal shelter — a development the shelter's acting director called "amazing," especially considering the extent of the abuse. He will be heading home with a foster family in the coming days.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
"I don’t know how anyone could continue to hurt a dog or any animal really, but it was pretty jarring to see," said Ashley Behrens.
The DA said there were no suspects currently in the attack and had no theories on what might have happened or led to the dog being abused so mercilessly. Donnelly said they are seeking the public's help to find out what happened to Cornell, and the county's chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was offering a $5,000 reward for any information.
"I believe this was somebody’s pet. He’s too healthy and in too good shape to have been a street dog," said Donnelly, who added that the woman who found the dog is not considered a suspect. "We need the public's health to help us find who did this to Cornell."
