In Mühlheim, a shepherd dog bumps into another four-legged friend, whose master pulls out a knife and fatally injures the animal.
The police are investigating.
Mühlheim – It is probably every dog owner's worst nightmare when the animal companion is fatally injured.
For a family from Mühlheim, this scenario has now become bitter reality.
Her East European shepherd, Tunay, was stabbed by a 44-year-old a few days ago in front of her house on Friedrichstrasse.
He had previously attacked the passer-by's bull terrier mix.
A short time later, the German shepherd succumbed to his injuries in a clinic, as reported by op-online.de.
According to the first findings of the police, the alleged perpetrator is said to have stabbed the animal several times with a knife, while the 26-year-old son of the owner family has to watch everything.
"I was sitting in the living room when I suddenly heard loud barking," the student, who doesn't want to read his name in the newspaper, remembers the fateful evening.
Mühlheim: German shepherd gets into fight with bull terrier
"When I came out, I only saw how Tunay and the other dog really bit into each other." Worried, the young man rushes over and tries to get his four-legged friend out of the situation - but he doesn't want to let go of his adversary.
Suddenly, the bull terrier's owner pulled out a knife and threatened to injure the German shepherd.
"I didn't realize it at first," said the 26-year-old.
When he finally noticed what the 44-year-old was up to, it was already too late – Tunay was hit by the gun.
"I begged the man to stop, but he just kept going." When the attacker finally let go of the animal, its owner immediately called the police and then tended to the wounds on his fur nose.
"It was really bad, our dog lost a lot of blood and I tried to stop it with towels," says the student.
But how could it even come to an argument between the two animals on the open road?
According to Tunay's owner, the male was outside in the yard shortly before the crime.
When the alleged perpetrator walked by with his dogs a little later, the shepherd slipped through a gap in the courtyard gate, which a tenant had not properly closed beforehand, and attacked the terrier.
"Of course that was negligent," the 26-year-old from Mühlheim reveals.
"Nevertheless, I can't understand how you can do something like that."
Stabbed shepherd dog in Mühlheim: police are looking for more witnesses
The police largely confirmed the descriptions when asked: “Shortly before 8 p.m., a 44-year-old was walking in the Friedrichstrasse area with a leashed dog.
The moment he walked past a property, another dog is said to have come from there.” The dogs then “bited each other”, whereupon the passer-by grabbed the knife and attacked the shepherd dog.
According to the police report, he must have injured his own four-legged friend, which is why both dogs are then taken to a veterinary clinic – but any help comes too late for Tunay.
"The doctor said he sustained a total of 14 stab wounds," reports his owner.
The shock of the crime runs deep in the family, they are devastated.
"We are still in shock, the dog was like a family member for us," says the son.
According to him, the alleged perpetrator, who is regularly out and about with his animals on Friedrichstrasse, had had a problem with the shepherd dog for a long time, is said to have verbally attacked him and has already threatened violence several times.
According to the police, the 44-year-old, who was initially released after the knife was secured, is now being investigated on suspicion of property damage and violation of the Animal Welfare Act - up to three years in prison.
The investigations are ongoing, the law enforcement officers are asking possible witnesses to contact 069 8098-1234 with information.
(Jan Lucas Frenger)