A Christchurch man accused of stabbing four-year-old police dog Kosmo has denied the charge.
Joshua Luke Cooper, 29, appeared via video link in the Christchurch District Court on Monday. He pleaded not guilty, and has elected to be trialled by a judge alone.
- Canterbury police dog gets life saving blood transfusion after being stabbed
- Police dog Kosmo's dog handler thought his pup was going to die after stabbing
Kosmo received a life-saving blood transfusion from a fellow K9 dog after he was stabbed while responding to a family harm incident in the north Christchurch town of Kaiapoi last month.
He sustained a 4cm-long cut to the throat that fortunately just missed his carotid artery, and was flown to the 24-hour vet where he was monitored.
Dog handler Constable Regan Turner previously told Newshub he thought Kosmo was going to die after the incident.
"It's not a feeling I want to experience again," he said.
"Despite me calling his name and trying to get him back to me, he just didn't have enough energy to move.
"They tell me if we found him a little bit later it probably wouldn't be the same outcome. That was my first fear really."
Cooper has been remanded in custody and will be considered for bail on Monday.
Newshub.
