Four people were bitten by dogs Tuesday afternoon, after two separate dog attacks. Three people were sent to the hospital. Both incidents happened in South Bend. Three people were hospitalized, including a young boy.

South Bend City’s Animal Control tells Newscenter 16 both of those dogs were put down on Tuesday. Police had to shoot one of the dogs at the scene, while the other was euthanized after South Bend Animal Control took it in. Valerie Rice's son was playing in the front yard with a friend when she heard screaming. It turns out her fiancé’s dog, a German shepherd mix, had escaped through the back fence and bit her son's friend. “It was pretty bad, I knew he was going to need some stitches, knew that,” says Valerie Rice.

Rice says the dog bit the boy in the face and then bit her on the arm. "I wanted to hurry up and call animal control and by the time I did that, the police was here," adds Rice. “I feel bad, I feel real bad.”

Not long after police and South Bend’s Animal Control were called to the Leer Street house, they were called to a home on Chestnut Street, after a dog attacked two adults. “He was inside the fence here and busted through here,” explains Bruce Benman, whose friend was attacked by the dog.

Two men were attacked by the dog, a pit-bull mix, in this incident. Police first tried to taze the dog, that didn't work, so animal control says police had to shoot it to death. “It's too bad, it was a nice dog, well-trained, we don't know what happened,” says Benman.

Benman says no one knows why the dog turned violent. He says no one was provoking it. “It's too bad this happened. I hope Richie is going to be alright, concerned with him being a diabetic and the wounds healing,” adds Benman.

Police arrested the owner of the dog for disorderly conduct, apparently acting out after police killed his dog.

Needless to say, the activity has kept South Bend City's Animal Control busier than usual. “It was unusual today with the severity of the cases we’re dealing with,” says Kim Lucas of South Bend City Animal Control.

It's unclear what the conditions of the victims are, although animal control officials say the bites are serious.

If you’re approached by a dog you think is dangerous, South Bend City’s Animal Control has some advice: Remain calm, slowly back or walk away from the dog and don't make eye contact.
If it's more serious, and the dog has you on the ground, they say it’s best to curl up in a ball and cover your ears. They say the ears are often the first place dogs will go.

If you see an animal of concern in your neighborhood, contact your local animal control unit.