BOISE - An officer shot and killed a dog in the backyard of a home on the Boise Bench Thursday afternoon.
According to the Boise Police Department, the officer was called at about 1 p.m. to a home on West Kootenai Street for a report of an aggressive dog fighting and injuring a golden retriever.
The woman living at the home told police she had tried to break up the dogs for several minutes before calling 911.
Police say the first officer on scene made several attempts to separate the dogs including using pepper spray and banging pots and pans together. But the pit bull continued to attack the other dog under a patio, making it difficult for officers to reach them, so the officer fired a single shot from his gun in an effort to stop the attack.
The pit bull died at the scene.
The golden retriever was taken to a veterinarian to be treated for his injuries.
Investigators say the resident of the home owned the golden retriever and had been pet sitting the pit bull.
