Necropsy results show no rabies after dog attacks Boulder family, officers

A necropsy on a dog that attacked its owner, leaving him seriously injured and eventually attacked police officers, showed no rabies, according to the Boulder Police Department. 

Officers responded to the neighborhood in the 3200 block of Palo Parkway just after 8 a.m. on Jan. 28 on reports of a dog attacking a man outside of a home. 

According to the investigation, the attack started inside the home before making its way outside. The man, later identified as the dog's owner, was trying to hold onto the dog so it would not attack anyone else. 

A neighbor stabbed the dog twice with kitchen knives before officers arrived, but the dog, named "Dutch," kept biting the man. 

When officers arrived to the scene, they tried to use a taser to subdue the animal but that's when the dog turned and began attacking the officer. That officer discharged his firearm and struck the dog several times. 

That's when officers began giving medical treatment to the victim, putting tourniquets on his arms that doctors later said saved his life. He was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and was ruled in stable condition on Jan. 29. 

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Just a minute later after being shot, the dog got up and charged at the officers a second time before the animal was shot again. Boulder Police Department Animal Protection officers arrived and euthanized the dog with an injection due to the severity of the animal's injuries.

"This was a disturbing event for everyone involved and the mauling could have truly been much worse if not for our officer's swift actions," interim Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a statement. "Though we all love our animals here in Boulder, this dog posed a life-threatening risk to the man he was actively attacking as well as the multiple community members nearby, and we ultimately had to protect those lives first."

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Neighbors were shocked by what happened. 

"I grew up in this area and I feel like I'm super safe here in general. And to have anything kind of shatter that illusion is a new experience for me," said neighbor Katie Miller.  

The family believed the dog was sick because it would never have attacked the owner otherwise. 

Police issued an update on the dog receiving the necropsy on Friday and said that it didn't have rabies or a brain tumor, although it was suffering from pain or discomfort. 

Right now, there is not enough information to tell whether the dog experienced abuse of trauma. 

Boulder police says it is currently waiting on the toxicology report and if those are positive it will share them.