A boy, 4, lost his hand recently after simply playing with a couple of dogs next door to his house in Utah.
A boy, 4, lost his hand recently after simply playing with a couple of dogs next door to his house in Utah.
CafeMom writes that a husky bit off the boy's hand after he stuck it underneath a vinyl fence.
The boy supposedly had put a sock on his hand, as he thought he was playing a game with the dogs. According to KTVU, Battalion Chief Jason Cook said the child was just making a sock puppet. But the fence was basically solid, so the dogs on the other side couldn't see that there was a boy playing with them.
One of the dogs bit at the sock, pulling so hard that his hand became detached.
After helping the child with his injuries, first responders then went to look for his hand, but were unable to find it. The boy was transported via helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital.
Emergency responders think the dog may have ingested the hand.
CafeMom writes that doctors had to remove an additional portion of his forearm. But Cook says the boy is taking it in stride.
"He's a tough little guy. He never cried the entire time in the ambulance or hospital."
Cook also wanted to remind parents and caregivers to always take care around dogs and other pets, including the ones that are familiar with us.
According to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburg, every year, about 800,000 dog bites take place. Of those attacks, about 334,000 are so bad that it involves a visit to the local hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Not all animals are always nice, or they may feel threatened at some kind of action," says neighbor Stacey Taft. She adds that she feels terrible for what the parents and child are experiencing. “I mean, no parent wants to go through that," Taft said.