A Flin Flon, Man., man says he feels broken and angry after an RCMP officer shot and killed his dog at his door.

Two RCMP officers were knocking on doors in Josh Nickerson's Hill Street apartment building on Sunday afternoon when the incident happened. Nickerson says there was no reason to shoot the dog, Cheech, who died instantly.

"It broke me. I'm broken. I died — I died inside. She was my kid, man. I had her for six years, ever since she was a little baby puppy," Nickerson said Monday.

"And [the officer] comes in and has the nerve to shoot my dog with no explanation, no reason," he said.

An RCMP spokesperson confirmed in an email to CBC News that an officer killed the dog at the residence.

But the police account differs from what Nickerson and a friend at the home say happened. RCMP say the officer felt he was in danger because the dog was behaving aggressively, and no one was trying to restrain it.

Cheech the dog died instantly after an officer shot her in the head outside an apartment in Flin Flon on Sunday. (Submitted by Josh Nickerson)

Nickerson's friend, Draven McKay, was there at the time. He said he got up to answer the door, and the dog started barking, which he said is normal behaviour to let his owner know someone is at the door.

McKay said he grabbed the dog by the collar to restrain her but she continued to bark.

McKay and Nickerson say only the dog's head was sticking outside the door, but then, the officer began shouting, saying "You want to keep your dog?"

"I got freaked out, because I heard a bunch of yelling and barking and then from what I heard it sounded like he was, like, threatening the dog's life, like, asking if I wanted to keep the dog, and it wasn't even my dog," McKay said.

Then the officer unholstered his weapon and fired a shot at the dog, hitting it in the head, and killing it.

Officer thought he was in danger, RCMP say

RCMP are disputing the claims that anyone was trying to keep Cheech under control.

According to RCMP spokesperson Tara Seel, after the door was opened, the dog got out and began growling and barking at the officers.

Seel said officers tried multiple times to get someone to take control of the dog, but no one came.

RCMP say no one tried to restrain the dog, and the officer believed he was going to be attacked. (Submitted by Josh Nickerson)

"The officer felt the dog was a definite threat and continued to move backward slowly away from the animal. At this time, the officer unholstered his firearm and again asked for someone to take control of the dog. Nobody came," Seel said.

She said the dog suddenly lunged at the officer, at which point he fired one shot, killing the dog.

"A RCMP officer does not make the decision to fire a weapon lightly. In this case, the officer was facing imminent harm," she said.

'I have no one'

An officer who was not present at the scene has taken statements from everyone involved, and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has been notified of the incident as well, Steel said.

Still, Nickerson insists the dog never had a history of violence.

He says he's devastated by the loss and still in shock.

"She was my life, man, the reason why I woke up, looked forward to coming home to, you know? That's how I would get to sleep at night. She would always sleep with me. She was my kid," Nickerson said.

"I have no one. She was always there for me, always — always by my side."