"The [999 emergency service] operator raised the alarm when she heard heavy breathing and shouting.

"Come out or else, I'm warning you", were the last words she heard before the call ended and she alerted police."

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "Staff thought they had a violent domestic or even a potential murder on their hands.

"For a few moments, they wondered what sort of incident they were dealing with.

"An operator phoned the number back hesitantly, only to be greeted by a very apologetic woman who confirmed that all was well and that the culprit was not her husband- but the dog. You just couldn't think this stuff up, could you."