CLAYSBURG — Three people were injured in dog attack on Friday, according to Greenfield Township police.

It happened about 10 a.m. Friday when a couple at a home on Connie Drive in Claysburg were having a discussion and their 4-year-old male pit bull latched onto the husband.

Greenfield Township police Chief Ronald Sharkey said William and Connie Cox weren’t having an argument. He characterized it as a misunderstanding, when the dog bit 69-year-old William Cox.

When the couple’s adult son, Allen Cox, tried to intervene, the dog turned on him, Sharkey said. Connie Cox, 67, was also attacked and suffered injuries that include a bite to the face when she tried to stop the attack, police said.

Police indicated that Allen Cox, who is in his 40s, suffered numerous injuries in the attack, including having his right arm nearly chewed off. Chief Sharkey said William Cox was severely injured and had a serious bite to the left arm and was bitten on the right arm as well as his head.

William and Allen Cox were undergoing emergency surgeries at UPMC Altoona following the attack, police said.

The dog was shot by William Cox before police arrived at the home, Sharkey said.

Greenfield Township police were assisted by AMED as well as Duncansville and Hollidaysburg ambulance services.