Dog stabbed in face, chest while protecting woman from knife-wielding Florida man

A dog acted heroically outside a Florida home when it stepped between its wounded owner and a knife-welding man, authorities say.

The owner and her dog were slashed and stabbed multiple times in the attack, but their wounds are not life threatening, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened around 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the 7200 block of Halima Road in Dover, about 20 miles northeast of Tampa.

“Joshua Mueller, 40, was engaged in a verbal argument with an adult woman seated inside her vehicle parked in front of a home,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“Mueller became upset and shattered the front driver’s side window with his fist. He then went inside and grabbed a large kitchen knife. Walking back outside, he confronted the victim and slashed at her arms several times. During that time, the victim’s dog came to her defense.”

Mueller is then accused of stabbing the dog in its face and chest as it shielded the woman.

Investigators did not say how the attack ended, but the suspect was “arrested without incident.” He has been charged with “aggravated cruelty to animals with a weapon and aggravated battery with a weapon great bodily harm,” officials said.

“This is a sad and reprehensible act of domestic violence and animal abuse that will not be tolerated in our county,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.

“While this individual cools off and faces the consequences of his violent actions, our heart goes out to the victim and their brave pup, and our deputies are working to get them the help they need to move forward.”

The report has gotten hundreds of reactions on social media, with many lauding the dog for jumping between its owner and a knife.

“The dog is a hero. I hope everyone heals up well and pup gets a much deserved steak dinner,” one commenter wrote.