The owner of the dog that was shot dead by police has insisted the pet "was not aggressive".

Charlie Gibson said he left his Belgian Malinois, Nina, in his canal boat near Woodland Chase, Croxley Green, to go to the market on Sunday morning (May 19) and returned to find she had bitten two people and been shot six times by armed officers.

The 30-year-old is currently trying to contact the victims of the attack, which left one woman hospitalised with “GBH level injuries”, to offer his condolences but insists his dog was not an aggressive animal and should not have been killed.

Because of the heat that day, Nina was not tied up but was apparently securely locked inside the boat, where Mr Gibson lives, when he left.

Those on neighbouring barges claimed to have seen someone getting on and off the back of Mr Gibson's and the door was open when he returned. The council worker therefore believes someone may have tried to break in only to be scared off by the dog and left the door open.

He suggested this might have agitated her and been the reason she then attacked the unrelated pair.

Watford Observer: Charlie Gibson with Nina.Charlie Gibson with Nina. (Image: Charlie Gibson)

Mr Gibson explained that the two-and-a-half-year-old pet, who went everywhere with him and enjoyed playing with his nephews, was “all I had” during a time before he met his partner when was “slipping into depression”.

“That dog saved my life in a way,” he said.

Footage of Nina seemingly staying in place while surrounded by police emerged yesterday. The audio, and reports from those at the scene at the time, suggest she was shot six times with a lengthy delay between some shots.

Mr Gibson described the police response as “despicable” and questioned why they could not restrain a stationary dog without killing it, or at least act more efficiently to make it painless.

“It’s heartbreaking really,” he added. “My dog was executed brutally. They didn’t even try.”

Commenting on the police response earlier this week, Sergeant Michael Branson said: “We understand that this incident has caused distress, and we want to reassure the public that all protocols were followed.

“The actions that were taken are always a last resort in these situations but unfortunately they were necessary in order to protect the public and officers at scene.

“At the time of our arrival on the scene, the dog was untethered and two people had been injured with both requiring hospital treatment and one for GBH-level injuries.

“Our priority was to ensure that no further harm came to other people in the area.”