MILLERSVILLE, Md. -- Someone brutally attacked, slashed and almost killed a dog in Anne Arundel County, Md., and police are trying to figure out who would do such a thing.

WBAL-TV in Baltimore said the dog was found Monday morning with its throat cut. His rescuers call him Clyde and police want to find the people responsible for his attack.

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Images: Pooch Doing Well After Vicious Attack

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"It's a life. Just because it's a dog doesn't mean we don't care," said Anne Arundel County police Sgt. Shawn Urbas. "We do care because a lot of people, including myself and many members of this police department, consider pets a member of the family so we want to find who did this and they'll be charged accordingly when we do."

Police said it was Monday morning when a staff member found a bloody belt in the parking lot of Baldwin Methodist Education Center in Crownsville, Md. A trail of blood was also found that led across the parking lot into a fielded area.

Police investigated and found nothing until the woman who found Clyde called animal control.

"I knew it had to be rushed to the vet," said Ken Roy from the Anne Arundel County Animal Control office. "It appeared to be somewhat scared and it was actually still a little bit friendly when I came up to it."

"We treat some pretty serious lacerations from time to time and this probably one of the worst ones I've seen," said veterinarian Dr. Gene Bauer.

The dog was rushed to the Bay County Veterinarian Hospital with a 9-centimeter cut to its neck. It had also lost a lot of blood.

"He was treated pretty aggressively for shock and blood loss," said Bauer. "(He) was taken quickly to surgery so we could repair the wound."

The surgery was a success. But officers admit they will have a hard time catching the people responsible. They will be passing out flyers containing what they know and if police find who did it, they face animal cruelty charges.