A teenage girl says she has been left heartbroken after her pet dog was brutally stabbed to death at her family's property in northern Victoria.

Key points: Police believe a dog sprayed with poison and stabbed to death was a case of mistaken identity

Police believe a dog sprayed with poison and stabbed to death was a case of mistaken identity Ezra, a two-year-old kelpie-border collie cross was stabbed on Monday night at Glen Creek, north of Wodonga

Ezra, a two-year-old kelpie-border collie cross was stabbed on Monday night at Glen Creek, north of Wodonga Ezra's teenage owner and her family say they are scared and traumatised by the apparent random attack

Ezra, the two-year-old kelpie-border collie cross is believed to have been sprayed with poison and stabbed several times in the chest and abdomen last Monday night.

Owner Rhiannon Symons was inside the family home at a property at Glen Creek, about 50 kilometres south of Wodonga when she heard her dog yelping in the front yard.

"To have her taken in such a traumatic way is heartbreaking, I actually can't describe the feeling," Rhiannon said.

The two-year-old kelpie-border collie cross lived at Glen Creek in northern Victoria. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

The dog was stabbed four times and, despite the best efforts of a nearby vet at Beechworth, she died the next day.

"She had only just turned two, so we'd had her for two years," Rhiannon said.

"She never left my side, she slept inside with me, and when I'd go horse riding she'd come, or come to work with me.

"She was a massive part of my life."

The family said Ezra was a placid dog who rarely barked and they were at a loss as to why someone would want to hurt her.

"I haven't really been sleeping or anything. I have really good friends and family supporting me, but it's just not right without her," Rhiannon said.

"She was a completely innocent dog and we're an innocent family."

A 'disgusting crime'

Police said they believed two people were involved in the attack and were appealing to the public to help find the pair.

Leading Senior Constable Craig Lee said he had known the family for many years and said police were investigating the possibility of a case of mistaken identity.

"The family has been in the area for a long time. They're a good, decent farming family," he said.

"I've only ever had good interactions with them, so we are trying to establish what the motive might be."

It's understood the attack occurred around 6:00pm on Monday at the Tunnel Gap Road property at Glen Creek.

Rhiannon told police she saw a man get into a dark blue Subaru wagon, with a loud exhaust and no number plates. It also had black roof racks and black wheels.

Ezra suffered multiple stab wounds and died the day after she was attacked. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

"We are concerned that perhaps the person, whatever their motivation might be, might have the wrong address so we are looking into that," Leading Senior Constable Lee said.

"We are doing everything we can to find out who is responsible."

He hoped other cars in the area at the time may have dashcam vision that could help lead police to those responsible.

"I've been in the police force for many years and haven't struck anything like this before, it's sort of a next level incident … To kill a dog like that is disturbing," he said.

"It's an absolutely disgusting crime and I feel so sorry for the family that they had to go through this."

Leading Senior Constable Lee said the level of violence in the incident was concerning.

"Obviously we are talking about people who have a propensity for violence particularly, it's fairly savage to kill a dog by stabbing them. It's a terrible, terrible thing and I feel so sorry for the family," he said.

"Even if the person who has stabbed the dog won't come forward, I hope the driver of the car is reflecting on what they've been involved in and perhaps they will come forward."

Police are investigating if targeting the family is a case of mistaken identity. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

The family said they were now living in fear.

"We don't know if they're going to come back. We don't know why they came in the first place," Rhiannon said.

"[To find who did it] would give a lot of closure and we would feel safe at home again."

Her father, Darryl, agreed.

"We've basically had to change our lifestyle because some nut job has come around and killed our dog," he said.

"No family should have to do that."

A much-loved loyal companion

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For Rhiannon, Ezra was far more than just a family pet.

"Earlier this year I went through some difficult times and she was always there, she was my happy place and my support for my mental health," she said.

Mr Symons said he felt helpless, watching his daughter and the rest of the family suffer.

"I feel pretty angry now to know that there are people driving around who can do this type of stuff," he said.

"We just need them caught, we need to know why, and you just don't like seeing your kids go through something like this."

Heartbreakingly, he believed Ezra would have willingly gone to the gate at the front of the rural property.

"She was quite a friendly dog and that's led to her demise, basically," Mr Symons said.

"I can imagine her going down to the gate when these people arrived, and she probably had a ball in her mouth. They didn't even have to get her trust, she just trusted people.

"I don't know how to describe them, I certainly don't think they've got much human nature about them at all, they've obviously got devils inside them and now we have to deal with those."