A pet dog shot by a police officer near the airport on Wednesday will need a few more operations but will likely survive, the owner’s family said on Thursday.

Missty, a three-year-old Staffordshire Terrier, was shot by a police officer around 12:20 p.m. The Regina Police Service said in a written statement on Wednesday afternoon that the officer felt threatened by the dog and shot the dog because he felt the dog was “posing an immediate danger.”

Missty’s owner Lance Murphy released a written statement on Thursday morning that he will also present to police.

In the statement, Murphy said he had both of his dogs with him at the time of the incident. He said the officer approached them and shot at his dog multiple times without speaking to Murphy.

“I feel that the officer was in the mindset to shoot to kill her even after he fired one shot at her and missed,” Murphy said in the statement.

Murphy’s son Lucas said his father is staying with Missty at the kennel during her recovery. On Thursday afternoon, Murphy was able to bring Missty home for a couple of days before she will return to the vet for her next surgery.

“My dad is devastated, heartbroken, sad, upset, all the different crazy emotions a person feels when are traumatized,” Lucas said in a written statement to CTV News. “If any dog can pull through this, it’s her.”

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, police say they are conducting a full investigation into the matter. Since a firearm was discharged, the use of force review board will assess the full incident.

Acting Deputy Chief Corey Zarahuk said the officer has been working with the canine unit for most of his career and is “very competent in understanding dogs.”

Zarahuk said the officer approached Murphy to ask him to leash his dog because he was close to where police would be holding canine training in Rambler Park. When the dog approached him, the officer felt he was in danger because the dog was approaching him aggressively.

“The officer feared he would be seriously injured,” Zarahuk said.

While the investigation into the incident is ongoing, Zarahuk said the officer discharged his firearm twice and the dog was shot once. The other bullet hit the ground and both bullets have been recovered.

Zarahuk added that dogs may act differently when they are with their families than they do when approached by a stranger.

Police say an internal risk management report will be completed before determining whether police will be responsible for any of Missty’s vet bills.

Police have remained in constant contact with Murphy and expect to continue that communication in the coming days.

Zarahuk called the circumstances around the investigation unusual.

“We need to go through our investigative process to fully understand what happened,” he said.