Humane Society of Missouri gives update on dog that was stabbed Wednesday

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The Humane Society of Missouri gave an update on the dog that was involved in an officer-involved shooting incident Wednesday and stabbed by its previous owner.

On Wednesday, officers were called to a building on Oakland Street about a man, who possibly had a mental health crisis, with a dog, sitting in different chairs and offices in the building.

According to Maj. Jane Bockstruck with St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, when officers arrived, they confronted the man he started repeatedly stabbing his dog, a one to two-year-old black male Pitbull mix.

In an attempt to stop him, police deployed a tazer, but it seemed to be ineffective and he broke free. He then went down the stairwell to the second floor hallway and sat down.

Bockstruck says at some point, he was stabbing himself in the neck. When officers approached him again, he stood up, refused to drop the knife, and in a threatening manner, he stood up, and the officer felt threatened after seeing his violent behavior and shot the suspect. He pronounced dead at the hospital.

The dog was rushed to the Humane Society of Missouri on Mackland. The Humane Society says the dog sustained superficial injuries and was also underweight and dehydrated. However, they say it will fully recover from the incident.

"We are very pleased this innocent pup is expected to have a good outcome," says Kathy Warrick, President of the Humane Society of Missouri in a statement. "The Humane Society's shelter and medical teams have reported he is a very sweet and gentle dog, but also understandably fearful at this time."

The Humane Society says due to the ongoing investigation by St. Louis Police Department, the dog is currently unavailable for adoption. Along that, the Humane Society says their veterinarians continue to monitor his condition and check for illnesses such as heartworm disease.

The Humane Society says it will keep the public updated on the dog's condition when new information is available.