A dog is dead after being stabbed on a trail in Atascadero.
It happened on the Juan Bautista de Anza trail right where the Atascadero Creek meets the Salinas Riverbed.
"Physical fight at Buena and Sycamore. One party is upset with the other for killing his dog," a dispatcher said over the police scanner Thursday evening.
Just before 6 p.m., Atascadero police responded to the trail for a fight.
"I've been walking my dogs for 8 years up and down this trail," said Randy Azelton.
It's a popular spot for people to walk their dogs off-leash.
Neighbors say they first heard yelling.
"They were using foul language and really loud," Azelton said.
He then took a look outside.
"And I saw these two guys carrying what I thought might have been a body so I called the police station and told them we need help," Azelton said.
Atascadero police say two men had been walking their dogs off-leash when the dogs, which had been involved in a past incident, began to fight.
Neighbors say the dogs involved were a husky and a Rottweiler.
APD says one of the owners, identified as the husky owner by neighbors, used a pocket knife to stab the Rottweiler in an attempt to stop the fight.
The Rottweiler died from its injuries.
"I was just horrified," Azelton said.
Neighbors say after the men carried the dog to the entrance of the trail they got into a physical fight.
Police showed up within minutes.
KSBY News reached out to the City of Atascadero, but officials were unable to tell us whether the man who stabbed the dog will face charges.
