ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A 3-year-old boy was playing in his back yard Monday when a loose pit bull ran up and attacked him. A deputy ended up shooting and killing the dog behind the house on Coral Reef Drive near Alafaya Trail (see map).

According to the incident report, the child, Jeremiah Miranda, is recovering from bites at Arnold Palmer. The most serious were to his head and he will need plastic surgery to repair his wounds. His father, Joshua Miranda, was also bitten on his hand.

Neighbors couldn't believe what happened.

“It makes me angry that people let their dogs run loose like that,” neighbor Joanne Mitchell said. “They need to round up the strays.”

It happened around 10:30am in the family’s backyard. Mom, dad and their 3-year-old son were playing when the dog attacked the child.

“The mother came to the boy's aid and the dog continued to go after the mother. The father intervened and got the dog away,” explained Kat Kennedy, Orange County Animal Services.

The parents dialed 911. Deputies rushed to the scene and were forced to shoot the pit bull when they say the dog lunged at them.

Barbara Reid says the same pit bull attacked her dog last week.

“This little dog is so scared it's been hiding under my tanning bed for a week,” she said.

Eyewitness News found out stray animals are a serious problem around Orange County. Animal Services took in 24,000 animals last year alone. The county is doing its best to round the strays up, but does not have the manpower to patrol around the clock. They only have three officers on duty at a time.

“Anytime someone sees a stray, they need to call us by dialing 311,” Kennedy said.

The dog killed will be tested for rabies. The next step in the investigation is figuring out who owned the pit bull. The dog didn't have a collar, but they plan to check the dog for a micro chip. They also have a couple of leads from neighbors.