Family Dog Stabbed by a Stranger During Walk

A New York City family is shaken after their dog was allegedly stabbed during an evening walk in Union Square.

Orly Nhaissi told the New York Post that she and her 13-year-old son, Elijah Sherinsky, were walking their 1-year-old dog, Hazel, around 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 26, when a man suddenly attacked the dog with a knife.

“He stabbed Hazel, right there in her butt,” Elijah said. At first, the teen thought the man had jabbed the dog with a vape device, but quickly realized it was a knife with a pink sheath and a black blade. He described it as larger than a pocket knife, but smaller than a kitchen knife.

Elijah said the man smiled after the attack and ran off. “I thought he was going to stab me, but he didn’t,” the teen recalled. He briefly tried to chase the suspect before his mother shouted for him to come back.

The family rushed Hazel back to their building, but by the time they reached the lobby, the dog was bleeding heavily. Orly said their doorman helped by providing paper towels and a rag while neighbors quickly transported Hazel to a nearby pet hospital for emergency care.

“The blood was gushing in the lobby,” Orly said. “It’s really devastating. We’re lucky that he didn’t harm us, but it just kills me. Who stabs a dog?”

A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department confirmed officers responded to a 911 call reporting animal cruelty near the intersection of East 14th Street and Fifth Avenue, close to Union Square, around 9 p.m. that night. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Hazel underwent several hours of surgery to repair the stab wound and was released back to her family around 2 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 27. The family said the emergency procedure cost approximately $3,200.

Photos shared by the family show Hazel with stitches, bandages wrapped around her body, and a drainage tube collecting blood from the wound. Veterinarians expect the dog to make a full recovery, though it could take up to three months.

“This is our first dog,” Orly’s husband, Joe Sherinsky, said. “She’s the best. She’s pure joy.”

The family says they are grateful Hazel survived, but the random attack has left them deeply shaken.