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Dog recovering after being attacked with machete in Lowell

“It was a pretty traumatic experience for him in a pretty gruesome wound, so he spent two days just sleeping and resting."

Danny Trejo was attacked by a machete in Lowell. Lowell Human Society

April 9, 2025

1 minute to read

A dog is healing in a Lowell shelter after being attacked by a machete last Monday, authorities said.

Lowell police officers responded to a report of an attack at Bishop Markham Village at 50 Summer St., according to the Lowell Sun. Police found a person attempting to close a wound on a dog’s head, the newspaper reported.

The person, arrested on March 31, was identified as Jeremy Collazo, 32, who is listed as homeless on court records but resides in Lowell. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of animal cruelty and was held without bail after a dangerousness hearing, court records show.

The dog, originally named Sticks, came into the Lowell Humane Society April 1 after Lowell Animal Control contacted the organization to care for him during his recovery period, said Executive Director Crystal Arnott.

“It was a pretty traumatic experience for him in a pretty gruesome wound, so he spent two days just sleeping and resting,” Arnott said.

By the third day, Sticks was active and playing and went on slow leash walks to avoid reopening his wound.

“You would never have even known what happened to him,” Arnott said.

To pay homage to his accident, the Humane Society renamed the dog Danny Trejo after the actor who starred in the 2010 film “Machete.”

“We really wanted him to have a fresh start with a new name,” Arnott said.

Arnott said Danny is an English bulldog who is between one and two years old. She described him as a “goofy puppy” who is very food-motivated and smart, quickly learning how to sit on command.

The Lowell Humane Society took on a contract with the city last year to hold cases of animals similar to Danny, who was by far the most “gruesome” case the organization has seen yet, Arnott said.

Danny is still at the Humane Society as police investigate whether the dog has an owner he can return to. If there is no owner, Arnott said the organization can move forward with finding Danny a new home.

“There are 1,000 animals a year coming through the Lowell Humane Society who do have stories who need support,” Arnott said.