A local resident's dog was shot after attacking a constable in Saylorsburg.

Constable Richard Salter had arrived at the Ross Lane home to serve a warrant for an outstanding traffic violation last Thursday.When Lorena Keglic answered the door, her German shepherd, Sniper, got loose and bit Salter's left arm.State troopers said that the attack left bloody bite marks.Salter shot the dog in the face. Though the shepherd was taken to Creature Comforts Veterinary Service in Saylorsburg, it died during surgery."There are situations where you have no choice, and before you know it, you have the dog clamped on your arm," Roger Metzgar, constable of Tobyhanna Township, said."At this time, there is no choice, you have to use deadly force. You have to do what you have to do in order to get home at the end of the day."Salter was unable to make any comment about the incident, due to an ongoing investigation by the State Police at Lehighton.Metzgar said that standard procedure dictates that the office contacts the constable involved in a situation like this, arranges for an attorney, and most importantly, sets up a support network for the constable.Metzgar said incidents like these are not common, but that they do happen.Constables reserve the right to protect themselves from attacking animals, regardless of whether they have been directed to attack or not."The first thing you try to do is disengage from the dog. We don't want to hurt an animal," Metzgar said.Unfortunately, an attack from a dog such as a shepherd can be particularly brutal, leading to the necessity of a deadly force.Metzgar stressed that constables in his force were never prone to jumping to this option, but that it can happen."You won't find one constable out here who isn't an animal lover," Metzgar said.German shepherds are well-known for their loyalty, along with being protective of their owners and territory. This can, on occasion, lead to particularly aggressive behavior toward those who are "trespassing" or encroaching on the dog's property."The dog is normally just protecting its territory, doing its job," Metzgar said.Data from dogbites.com indicates that from 1982 to 2014, German shepherds were ranked sixth in number of fatalities associated with attacks, along with 113 incidents of bodily harm. These figures are dwarfed by the number one entry, pit bulls, but they still warrant caution when dealing with the breed.Messages to the dog's owner have not been returned.