WOODLAND HILLS—A terrier mix named “Coco” was stabbed in the head on April 22 during a walk with her owner. The stabbing occurred on 5500 block of Patellar Avenue in Woodland Hills.

Oscar and Adam Kaiz-Vera’s son, a 15-year-old teen, was walking their dogs, a shih Tzu, Mafalda and the terrier mix named Coco, when Coco pulled away and ran up to a stranger. The man took out a knife and stabbed the dog in the head. The assailant slashed the dog’s head so deeply that it broke her skull.

Adam Kaiz-Vera told Fox 11, “I’m just trying to picture it with my son seeing a man there waving a knife at our tiny dog. My son yelled, ‘she’s just a little dog.’ He yelled ‘stop’ twice and the man said ‘I fear for my life,’ like he made a proclamation. The neighbor said that he yelled out, ‘dog or human, I will protect myself.”

Coco

“Because the fracture didn’t break into the brain, that would’ve killed her right away, but because it was just a fracture and then it went into her sinuses also, that we’re really lucky that she’s alive,” said Kaiz-Vera to Fox 11 News.

Adam wrote on their GoFundMe page, “Coco is home as of tonight; her prognosis is good, and we need to keep her constantly crated for 2 months while the skull heals.” The Woodland Hills community managed raise funds that exceeded the goal of $3,807 of the $3,402 goal. The total of vet bills was originally estimated at $8,000, but now sits at a little over $6,000.

In the latest update on their GoFundMe page Adam thanked the many who donated to Coco’s medical bills. “I’m in shock on this – i don’t know most of you. Thank you so much. I don’t like “lucky”, but not a fan of “blessed” either… but we are lucky and blessed,” said Adam.

“(My son Santiago has a trauma background and was very affected by witnessing all of this;  however we have a wonderful therapy team helping him and he is an amazing young man).

(Neighbors saw, cops were called, even a helicopter came out.  Didn’t catch the guy,) Adam stated on the GoFundMe page.

The man who stabbed Coco is still on the loose. Anyone with information the suspect or the incident is asked to contact the police.