Police had cordoned off the streets where an officer shot at a dog in Long Beach on July 26, 2018. Photo by Curtis Herod.

A Long Beach police officer helping break up a fight in the Memorial Heights neighborhood shot at a dog Thursday afternoon but missed, leaving the animal unharmed, authorities said.

The shooting happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. near 35th Street and Weston Place where police had been called about a dispute over some property, Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria said.

That dispute had turned into a fight, and when multiple officers arrived to intervene, the dog charged at them, according to Chavarria.

“The dog went into protection mode,” she said. “It’s owned by one of the person’s involved.”

One of the officers fired a single shot at the dog, but the bullet didn’t hit anyone, according to authorities. Police were then able to get the situation under control, Chavarria said.

All of the officers were OK. They eventually arrested a man involved in the fight, Chavarria said.

Jeremiah Dobruck is managing editor of the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.