A police officer shot a dog Wednesday morning after reports of a loose pit bull acting aggressive on a Bronx street, the NYPD says.

Two officers responded to the call at 3459 Fort Independence St. around 11 a.m. to contain the dog. One witness says he saw the dog chasing what appeared to be two delivery men.

When the police arrived, the dog charged them, officials say. Then one of them shot it twice.

The dog is a puppy named Spikey, according to his owner, Jordan Guerra. Spikey is in critical condition at Animal Care Centers of NYC, and requires surgery.

"He's a good dog, no reason why anyone should've shot him," Guerra says. "He was running -- back inside the house."

Police say one officer might have broken an ankle while backing away from the dog.

But one witness says there was space between the officer and the dog before the shooting.

Oksana Tatis says she was baby-sitting across the street when she saw the incident. She tells News 12 that the dog was several feet away from the officer when he opened fire. She says the officer shot the dog and then fell backward.

At the beginning of the month, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said officers would soon be equipped with Tasers and a more potent mixture of pepper spray so they would have other options to disable aggressive dogs rather than shooting them. However, police say those options are not in use as of yet.