A man accused of leading police on a wild chase on the Gold Coast is also facing animal cruelty charges for locking a police dog in his car.
Police spotted the man behind the wheel of a station wagon at Coomera Waters on Saturday morning.
When they asked him to get out, he allegedly rammed the police car in front of him and drove off.
Officers twice tried using stingers to stop him but failed.
The chase eventually led to a dirt track where he slammed into a second police car and crashed down an embankment.
During this time, police dog PD Ox who was tracking the offender, became separated from his handler.
Police say the man at some point locked the black german shepherd in his car.
PD Ox's disappearance - which lasted more than six hours - sparked a widespread search utilising other dog squad members and a police helicopter.
The canine cop was reunited with his handler and the offender taken into custody.
The dog is unharmed and expected to return to work for his Sunday afternoon shift.
Meanwhile, a man will front Southport Magistrates Court on Monday charged with a raft of offences, including attempted injuring of a police dog and animal cruelty.
He is also facing four counts of assaulting police, one of which relates to the four-legged member of the service.
Officer in charge of the Gold Coast Dog Squad, Sergeant Gary Hamrey, is expected to welcome the "very driven" PD Ox back to work on Sunday afternoon.
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