Stray dog stabbed after stepping in to rescue woman being attacked

The dog nearly died during surgery and been named ‘Hero’

Hero the pitbull (not pictured) has been rescued and is up for adoption (Getty)

A stray pit bull has been rescued by police after it was stabbed several times by a man who had been attacking a woman in Tennessee.

The dog had reportedly lunged towards the man while the woman was being attacked, and was almost fatally injured by the stabbing wounds it sustained in the fight.

The police officers who responded to the incident in Knoxville took the dog to a vet. The animal underwent surgery and almost died twice, but has survived and is reportedly recovering well.

Officer Timothy Clay told ABC7 Eyewitness News: “We felt like we needed to get that dog some help after what it had been through.”

The dog has since been named “Hero” and been taken into the care of a pit bull rescue centre, while has raised funds to help pay for medical expenses.

The seven-year-old animal is now up for adoption.