GUN PLAIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – An Allegan County man may lose his arm after his dog attacked him and his sister over the weekend.

Michigan State Police say they were called on Saturday morning to a residence in Gun Plain Township on a dog attack. Troopers arrived and found a man on the ground being attacked by the dog. The man told police that the dog was his and that troopers should shoot it. When the trooper shot the dog, the dog then charged the officer. He then shot the dog a second time, killing it.

The victim, 56, told police that he had owned the dog, which was a seven year old pit bull weighing about 80 pounds, since it was a puppy. He told police that the dog had nipped at people in the past, but had never attacked until that morning, when it attacked his 49-year-old sister. The owner tried to rescue his sister from the dog when the dog then turned on him.

Both people were treated for serious tears and lacerations and are being treated for rabies. The man also have nerve damage and will need skin grafts if doctors can save his arm. The dog’s body was taken to Michigan State University for rabies testing.