FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (AP) — A Maryland police department says an off-duty officer shot a dog with his service weapon after it attacked him and his dog.

The Washington Post cites a Prince George’s County Police Department release that says the officer was walking his cocker spaniel in Fort Washington when another dog ran out of a neighbor’s garage and charged the two. The officer reportedly picked up his dog and tried to fend off the Cane Corso, also known as an Italian mastiff, as it attempted to bite the two.

It says the officer then shot at the mastiff, grazing its back paw. The mastiff received veterinary treatment. The officer and his dog were not hurt.

The police department is investigating per policy when an officer fires a service weapon.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com