Officers from San Francisco Animal Care and Control say the dog was an intact male pit bull -- a type of dog difficult to find and highly sought after in the city.
"It's become harder and harder I think for people in San Francisco for people to acquire intact pit bulls, which is the preferred condition for certain individuals," Animal Care & Control Director Rebecca Katz said.
At this point, she says the motive of last night's stabbing is speculation. Police are still investigating the brutality at 22nd and Bartlett streets.
"All we have right now is two Hispanic males," San Francisco Police spokesperson Ofc. Gordon Shyy said. "We're asking for the public's help to identify these people."
The owner, who escaped the street altercation without injury, took his dog to an emergency veterinary clinic but the pit bull did not survive the stabbing.
