Police in Port Alberni shot a dog after it attacked two people on the Saturday of the August long weekend.

Officers received a call Aug. 5 about a dog that attacked somebody at Sproat Lake Provincial Park campground, Port Alberni RCMP media liaison officer Const. Richard Johns said. When officers arrived on scene on Highway 4 just outside the campground the dog鈥檚 owner had restrained the animal, but was also injured.

鈥淢y understanding is it was a child that was originally injured and then the owner was injured from trying to restrain the animal. Unfortunately the owner had also been bitten by this interaction and had some serious injuries,鈥� Johns said.

Johns confirmed that a Port Alberni RCMP officer used his service weapon to shoot the dog. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a situation any officer wants to be involved in,鈥� he said. 鈥淥fficers were left with no option but to euthanize the animal on scene.鈥�

Johns did not know what breed the dog was, saying only that it was a large dog. No information was available on the condition of either victim.

The incident shocked people camping at Sproat Lake Provincial Park over the B.C. Day long weekend.

Gary Krogfoss of Cloverdale, B.C. was camping in the upper campground with his family when he heard a commotion near Highway 4 next to the park. He said he and his son could hear a woman screaming and a dog barking. 鈥淎 few minutes later we heard and saw lights and sirens; you could hear them coming down the highway.鈥�

He said they were stopped by another camper as they drew close to the scene, and were told that a dog attacked a person. Then he heard someone shouting 鈥済et back鈥� and then a gunshot.

鈥淲e were just camping there for the weekend,鈥� said Krogfoss, who used to live in Port Alberni. 鈥淚t certainly was traumatic.鈥�