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Officer Fatally Shoots 'Aggressive' Dog That Was Advancing Towards Him

ANNE ARUNDEL CO., Md. (WJZ) -- An officer in Anne Arundel County fatally shot an "aggressive" dog that was advancing towards him Sunday afternoon.

Police say the dog was shot shortly after 3:30 p.m., after an officer was called to the 1800 block of Graybird Court in Severn for a theft.

The officer was talking with the victim, and they walked to the back of the home.

The victim opened the home's "lower level rear sliding glass door." A three-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff then came out of the home.

The officer reports the dog took an "aggressive posture," and was growling and showing its teeth.

The dog "focused" on the officer, and began advancing towards him, according to police. The officer was backing up in the fenced in yard and yelling for the owner to control the dog.

The officer could not turn to see the gate, and when the dog advanced faster towards the officer, he fired his service weapon.

The dog was fatally shot. Its body was taken by the Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control for necropsy.

The investigation into this shooting is continuing.

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