Robert Carter said he came home on Sunday to find four of his seven dogs stabbed to death.
"This is just devastating," said Carter. "It's a crazy thing to come home and find all of your dogs dead -- not necessarily all of them, but the majority of them gone."
Carter said he found two of his dogs lifeless in the yard. He said two others were severely injured and had to be put down. His 3-year-old Chihuahua-Pug mix "Saintly" was one of the lucky ones. She is recovering from a stab wound to her stomach and a broken rib.
Police said the attack on the dogs likely happened early Sunday morning. That's when Carter's neighbor, Eddie Gonzales, said he heard a big commotion outside.
"It was around 1:30 and we heard all the dogs barking. And when we got up to look, there was nobody out here, but all the dogs were barking," said Gonzales.
The Riverside Police Department is investigating the animal cruelty case. They sent officers out to talk to Carter.
"The officers had asked me if I had any confrontations with anybody in the last few days and I told them yes I had," said Carter.
Carter said that three days prior to the attack, he had a verbal confrontation with a man he said was bothering his dogs. The confrontation was captured on surveillance video. According to authorities, the man seen on the video is being called a "person of interest."
The surveillance cameras on Carter's property did not capture the attack. Riverside County Animal Services is assisting police with the investigation and confirms all four dogs had been stabbed.
"It's despicable, it's horrific, and it's something we shake our heads at. Who can harm an animal?" said John Welsh with Riverside County Animal Services.
Carter said the rest of his dogs are now traumatized.
"They are really distraught at this point. I just got them to come out this morning. Other than that, they want to stay in the house," said Carter.
Anyone with information was asked to call Riverside police at (951) 354-2007.
