POLICE say they 'exhausted all other options' before taking the decision to shoot a dog left tied to a telegraph pole.

The elderly German Shepherd was described as “aggressive” and officers were sent to Mainsforth Terrace, in Hartlepool, on Sunday morning to try and calm the dog with members of the public advised to stay away from the scene for their own safety.

Throughout the operation Cleveland Police say they worked together with a number of veterinary professionals, the RSPCA and a rehoming charity.

This led to the decision to destroy the dog, which was extremely aggressive and unapproachable.

Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin said: “We are always saddened by the death of an animal, but the difficult decision to destroy the dog was taken in partnership with animal welfare experts.

“The decision was made at the end of a six-hour operation after we had exhausted all other options, including attempting to trace the owner and rehoming.

“Veterinary professionals told us that, even if the dog could have been successfully sedated, they couldn’t have rehomed the dog due to its aggressive behaviour and that this was the kindest course of action. If the dog couldn’t be rehomed then the likely outcome would have been that it would have been euthanised by a vet.

“We also took on board advice from specially-trained officers at the scene and engaged with vets to try to attempt to resolve the issue long-term, however, sadly the only safe decision was to destroy the dog.

“It was a difficult balance, we were in fear that the dog could have got loose and potentially injured someone and the dogs’ welfare was a serious concern whilst it was tied up.

"If there could have been any other alternative ending, then of course we would have taken it.

“We would fully support the RSPCA in appealing for any information with regards to the owner of the dog to come forward.”

This evening, the RSPCA responded on Twitter to questions sent to the organisation.

A spokesman wrote: "We tried our best to find another option but because this was a police-led operation, despite our best efforts, the independent vet advised the police that the kindest option was to euthanise her and the police decided to follow this advice."

They added in reply to another user: "This was a difficult and distressing police-led incident with an outcome which no one wanted.

"We attended to help the police and dog warden and sought independent vet advice to try and find a non-lethal solution."