Sharpsville police need help identifying the owner of a large, dark-colored dog that attacked a small mixed-breed named Charcoal last week.

Police said the 10-pound dog was in its owners’ back yard about 11 p.m. July 16 in the 400 block of South Seventh Street when a woman walking the large dog on a leash lost control and the big dog ran into the yard and attacked Charcoal.

Police said the owners, Tim and Debbie Yeager, rushed Charcoal to a veterinary hospital for surgery. He suffered a lacerated liver and kidneys, bladder damage and other internal injuries in the attack, police said.

The incident lasted about 30 seconds, police said, and as soon as the woman got her dog under control, she left.

The Yeagers’ daughter, Jaime Knicely, said Thursday that Charcoal was recuperating and seems to be getting back to his old self.

Ms. Knicely was in the back yard with her family when Charcoal was attacked. She said the little dog was running around and then the big dog came running at him.

“Before I knew it … that dog had Charcoal in its mouth,” Ms. Knicely said.

As soon as the attack was over, Ms. Knicely said the woman “took off.”

The veterinarian bill is more than $1,300, police said, and the owner of the other dog is likely liable for those costs. He or she could also face criminal charges, depending on the situation, police added.

The Yeagers didn’t report the incident until the 18th, police said, because they thought the owner of the big dog would return and deal with things.

Police have been going door to door trying to learn who owns the large dog, which may have been a rottweiler or a Labrador retriever. Neighbors told police they have seen the woman walking the dog in the area before, but no one’s reported seeing her since.

Ms. Knicely said it was dark and hard to see, but the woman was wearing a baseball cap and maybe had blonde, curly hair, was in her mid-30s and was tall and thin.

Police ask that anyone with information about the identity of the large dog or its owner call police at 724-962-7829 or for the owner to come forward.