Footage of Coventry Tasered dog attack released by police

The video was released to add context to the situation, police said

Footage of a dog attack, after which an animal was Tasered before being contained in a wheelie bin, has been released by police.

The move was necessary to stop the "out of control" animal which posed a risk to people nearby, including children, police said.

Officers were called to Milverton Road, Coventry, on Tuesday to reports a group of dogs were fighting in the street.

The video was made public to "explain the context" of the event, police said.

"Contrary to reports on social media, the dog was not hit by a police car and was not killed," said West Midlands Police.

The footage from an officer's body-worn camera shows him approaching a group trying to separate the fighting dogs.

"This dog's going to be dead very shortly, I can tell, it's tearing it apart," the officer is heard to say on the video.

Despite speculation the dog is being cared for in kennels, said the force

The Tasered animal was then put in the bin to contain it until a specialist dog unit turned up, police said.

Ch Insp Daryl Lyon said it was a "dynamic incident where officers were concerned about the safety of an animal being attacked by another dog".

"As you can see from the video there were also children in the location, other members of the public and other police officers which the animal posed a risk to."

The dog tried to attack a member of the public, who used an umbrella to defend himself, and had to jump over a fence to escape, the force said.

"Despite speculation" the animal is safe and well and being looked after in kennels, police said.

The owner is fully aware of the actions police have taken, and the dog that was attacked is at home recovering.

A man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police and interviewed on Tuesday.