Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson says he fully supports an officer who tried to shoot a pair of dogs Thursday.

Police say it was a defensive move to scare them away because the black Labrador and flat-coated retriever were reported to be acting aggressively and chasing children through the community of Evergreen.

Hanson says the officer did the right thing.

"Our number one thing is to protect people from those animals and if the officers get there and they're attacked by the dogs they're totally justified in doing whatever they need to do to protect themselves and protect the people in that community," he said.

The police officer who fired the shot will stay on duty while the incident is reviewed.

The review is mandatory, because it involved use of force by a police officer, but the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team will not be involved.

The dogs were eventually corralled into a fenced backyard and captured by animal services.

The owner could face fines of up to $1,000 for allowing the dogs to be loose.

According to animal services, the owner of the dogs says the animals accidentally broke loose.