The 44-year-old was arrested and cautioned for obstructing the police following an incident at his central London home on Tuesday night.

He is said to have resisted officers who wanted to put his Yorkshire terrier in quarantine, got into an argument and refused to hand over the dog.

However, it is understood the dog is now safe and that the Chelsea coach will co-operate fully with the animal health authorities.

Despite that, animal health inspectors were still saying they were trying to track it down.

A spokeswoman for the City of London Corporation, which is responsible for enforcing legislation governing the importation of animals for Greater London, said their priority was to trace the dog. "Our main concern is to find the dog and that is what we are looking to do," she said.

Trouble flared when Mr Mourinho returned home from Chelsea's Player of the Year Awards after his wife, Tami, telephoned to tell him the dog was being taken away.

Officers wanted to put the dog in quarantine because they feared it had been taken abroad and then brought back to Britain without the appropriate jabs.

According to The Sun, Mr Mourinho bundled the dog away from police and claimed it was now on the loose.

Mr Mourinho, in a statement, said the pet was bought from a reputable breeder in England and has had all the "necessary inoculations". He said the incident was the result of a "misunderstanding" over documents required for veterinary regulations.