A South Brunswick police officer shot and killed a dog that attacked him while he was responding to reports of escaped livestock Thursday, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Police received calls from two passing motorists reporting that livestock had escaped and were near a roadway, where they could be struck by passing vehicles.

Authorities said the officer was walking up a driveway to contact the homeowner when a dog on the property attacked him. The officer fired his gun to prevent further attack, killing the dog, according to prosecutors.

The officer was taken to Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in stable condition, where he was treated for his injuries and released.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has been designated the independent agency investigating the shooting under a state attorney general directive.