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Over 100,000 people have signed an online petition to prevent a dog from potentially being put down after the animal bit off a four-year-old’s hand and part of his arm.
On Sunday, a Utah boy tried to play with his neighbour’s huskies by putting a sock on his arm and sticking it under the fence that separates his backyard from where the dogs live. One of the huskies bit the child’s hand, and ripped off the limb.
Emergency workers couldn’t find the boy’s hand, and are almost certain the dog ingested it, Layton Fire Battalion Chief Jason Cook said.
“Bear, who was playing with what he thought was a toy … bit down too hard and didn’t see that there was a child on the other side of the fence,” the petition reads. “With him being a dog, he thought it was a game of tug of war and he bit down too hard and took a lower portion of his arm. This situation is unfortunate on both sides.”
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The starter of the petition wrote that they are the “best friend” of the dogs’ owner and are worried about the pets’ fate.
“…Both dogs are in quarantine at Davis County animal control. There are fears that Bear might be put down and he doesn’t deserve to be put down for this freak accident,” the petition states.
As of Wednesday, the petition had nearly 102,000 signatures.
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The injured child, who has not been named, had his entire hand and two to three inches of his forearm bit off, Cook said. The boy’s father, who was inside their home when the incident took place, called 911 and said his son’s hand had been completely ripped off.
A helicopter flew the boy to a hospital in Salt Lake City, where he had surgery, Cook said. The child is doing well and is expected to survive.
Medical personnel and animal control officials briefly considered putting down the dog to retrieve the hand for reattachment, but the surgeon determined that wasn’t a viable option, Cook said.
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The husky who attacked the boy will be quarantined for 10 days, said Rhett Nicks, director for Davis County Animal Care and Control. Officials have not determined if the dog will be put down or listed as a dangerous dog, he said, with an investigation underway.
It was the animal’s first reported bite, Cook said. Animal control was holding another husky that lives at the house but wasn’t involved.
Those who have supported the online petition to save the dog are commenting that the pet should not be punished for the accident.
“No dog should be punished for protecting or being on their own property especially not knowing that it was a human,” one person wrote. “They don’t deserve to be put down. It wasn’t an act of aggression,” wrote another.
— With files from AP
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