A pit bull mix that was brutally slashed with a knife and beaten with a shovel over the weekend in South Los Angeles required more than 1,000 stitches and is now recovering at a temporary home, officials said.

The dog, named Spartacus, was seen being attacked by an angry neighbor near 10th Street and Forest Avenue on Saturday morning, Los Angeles police said. Photos of the dog showed slashes to the dog’s head and neck and injuries toward the top of its back.

“I have 21 years with the police department and I’ve never seen a dog that cut up before by somebody,” LAPD Sgt. Tami Bauman told NBC Los Angeles. “We once in a while see someone get mad and maybe they’ll choke a dog or maybe cut it, but this dog is cut up all over.”

The Ghetto Rescue Foundation said Spartacus required more than 1,000 stitches to close the wounds to his head, neck, ears, mouth and torso.


“We are so sad this happened to him,” the foundation’s staff wrote in an update posted online.

Despite his extensive injuries, Spartacus was beginning his road to recovery Monday. Another dog owner has pledged to take care of Spartacus during the police investigation, the foundation said.

Officials told The Times on Monday that there have been no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact LAPD’s animal cruelty task force at (213) 486-0450.


Staff writer Ruben Vives contributed reporting.

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