BOULDER, Colo. — Police in Boulder shot and killed a dog that was attacking a man Sunday morning. The victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
It happened after police responded to a disturbance call around 8:17 a.m. in the 3200 block of Palo Parkway, according to the Boulder Police Department.
Neighbors who witnessed the attack say the dog belonged to the victim. Neighbor Shawn David West said he attempted to stop the dog, stabbing it repeatedly with two kitchen knives.
"I hit him in the body and the torso and the dog was staggered, but he still wasn't going down," said West.
Another neighbor, Madeleine Gagne, attempted to stop the attack and helped care for the man. A former EMT, Gagne said the man's wounds were severe.
"His arms were bit down to the bone, down to connective tissue, down to muscle with just deep gashes," said Gagne.
Police arrived to find the animal still attempting to attack the neighbors. Boulder police said they attempted to neutralize the dog, but an officer had to shoot the dog after the dog tried to attack the officers.
“This was a disturbing event for everyone involved and the mauling could have truly been much worse if not for our officer’s swift actions,” interim Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a statement. “Though we all love our animals here in Boulder, this dog posed a life-threatening risk to the man he was actively attacking as well as the multiple community members nearby, and we ultimately had to protect those lives first.”
Officers applied tourniquets to the individual and paramedics transported him to the hospital in critical condition. The man was still hospitalized Monday morning.
Police said animal protection officers had to euthanize the dog due to the severity of its injuries. A necropsy will be done on the animal to rule out rabies, a brain tumor, accidental toxin ingestion and other possible environmental causes for the attack, police said.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
Editor's note on Jan. 29, 2024 at 12:50 p.m.: The story has been edited to include new information released by the Boulder Police Department.
